Dust of an Empire
by Avarianus
Summary: The day the Empire came, their hope for a better future died. But amidst the chaos and tragedy of the imperial occupation, one last spark of hope remains. And as the Rebellion against the Empire's tyranny grows, Ruby Rose and her friends must choose their future. However, not all of them fight for the same cause... Jedi... Sith... nothing will ever be the same again.
1. Red Hood

**Hi everyone, after my long... well very long absence, I've finally returned.  
**

 **A friend of mine had a lot of weird ideas about possible RWBY crossover stories, some really crazy, others batshit crazy and then... well, this. So he challenged me to write the first chapter to one of his ideas, mostly to help me get back into the mood for writing stories after a long episode of writer's block and personal problems. And so we got a silly little crossover story with Star Wars.**

 **The basic idea behind this story is simple. The Empire conquers Remnant, intent on taking the Dust as a valuable resource for their secret projects. Team RWBY gets split up in the aftermath, with some ending up with the rebellion, while others were not as lucky. So basically, instead of Cinder and her cohorts interrupting the Vytal Festival, a certain dark lord with breathing problems dropped by for a visit...**

 **The story starts at the beginning of Episode IV with Ruby arriving on a dusty planet...**

 **Oh, and for the few fans of my other stories that might have ended up here as well, fear not. I will continue Harbingers, though I won't make any promises about when I'll be able to upload a new chapter that I deem fitting. I've been away from that story for a year and I need some time getting back into the mood of that story.**

 **But enough babbling, let's get this story started...**

* * *

The transport shuddered violently, as it began its descent through the atmosphere of the planet. The cargo creaked and groaned against its bindings, as the reentry into the atmosphere took a violent turn and everything not secured or bolted to the ground was sent flying around inside the small cargo bay.

"Sorry about that, had to avoid some imperial patrol fighters. Schuttas believe they own the sky," the voice of the pilot came through the intercom of the ship. "Only a matter of time before Jabba makes some of them disappear in an unfortunate accident." The pilots laugh could be heard, even without the intercom.

The only human passenger of the transport picked herself up from the ground, groaning in discomfort, as she pushed herself back up. It had been an unexpected and unpleasant surprise, but nothing that would cause enough damage to leave a dent in her Aura.

Still, she wasn't happy. No, Ruby Rose wasn't a happy camper at that moment. Imperial patrols, the last thing she needed was those idiots pocking their noses where they don't belong. She had paid this smuggler a decent amount of credits to reach her destination undetected, money wasted should the Imperials find her now.

She readjusted her red cape and the black flight suit she wore underneath before she slowly maneuvered through the fallen cargo and towards the small cockpit of the ship.

There she found them. The ship's captain, a scruffy looking scoundrel name Han Solo and his co-pilot, Chewbacca, the giant and very hairy alien. A Wookie, Ruby reminded herself. She still hadn't gotten used to seeing all those different aliens everywhere. Humans may dominate the galaxy, but the sheer plethora of different species had surprised even her.

"Mos Eisley starport, the most idyllic piece of sand and blood on at the arse end of the galaxy," Solo said with a frown. "Don't know what you want down there, missy, but this ain't no place for a little lady like yourself."

"I will manage," Ruby replied, slightly miffed by the little comment.

Sure she hadn't grown all that much in recent years, but she had grown to a somewhat normal hight by the time she had hit eighteen. Yeah, Weiss and even most of Team JNPR had all grown to be at least a head taller than her, but that didn't mean she was little. Oh no, Ruby Rose had drunk enough milk to grow up. Especially the blue one. She really liked the blue one, though she would have liked it more had it been red, to be honest.

"We will land in a few moments. Once you are out of my ship you will be on your own. Seriously, if you want to go back home or anywhere else, just stay on board. I won't even charge you full."

Chewbacca made some loud noises in his native tongue. Ruby had no idea what the Wookie had said, but she could guess that the big furball agreed with Solo. They had this argument twice before. The day she had booked this flight and once when they had to make a short stop at a space station somewhere in the Outer Rim. But Ruby was stubborn, a quality she was quite proud of. Something she and Yang, her older sister, had had in common.

"Don't worry. Rather pity the idiot who dares to come between me and my baby," Ruby replied confidently, as he right hand found her weapon, Crescent Rose, on her back.

Ever since she had left Remnant, her weapon had been her life insurance. Mostly as a sniper rifle, seeing as only very few people would choose close combat when everyone has a blaster to shoot from a safe distance.

Solo grumbled something in a different langue. Huttese, maybe. Ruby had her troubles with alien languages. She wasn't like Weiss, who would study a langue for a week and then go out to play ambassador with that Alderaanian princess. She both envied and pitied her partner. It was sure nice to learn things so quickly, but doing nothing but talking must be damn boring.

"Well, can't say I didn't try. Not on my conscience then," Solo told her pointedly, as he finally landed the ship. "Here we are. Delivered as agreed."

"Thank you, Captain Solo," Ruby told him, "I will remember your help."

"Just don't remember it too loudly. Can't have people think I've gone soft. And maybe it's better that no one knows that I smuggle Rebel spies from one world to the other."

"Ah, I think you've got something wrong here. I'm not a rebel spy," Ruby corrected him, a wide grin blooming on her lips as she looked at him with childish glee.

"Imperial then?" he frowned. How had he not picked up on that?

"Nope, not that one either," she sang, as she turned around to leave the cockpit, "I'm a huntress," she proclaimed happily before she disappeared from sight.

Chewbacca's roar rumbled loudly through the small cockpit, as the Wookie looked at his friend. Solo just sat there and shook his head in dismay.

"Don't I know it. Completely unhinged that one," the scoundrel muttered. "Come on, let's get rid of the rest of the cargo before Jabba hears that we are back in town. Maybe we can even get a drink at the cantina once we are done."

The Wookie roared again, happy with this idea. They could both need some quiet relaxation in a cantina after spending nearly two weeks with the excitable Ruby Rose in the confines of the Millennium Falcon.

Meanwhile Ruby took her first steps on this foreign new world. Tatooine, the desert planet. Never before had she been on a world such as this one. The scorching heat was ever present, as two suns hung high in the cloudless sky.

This was only the third planet she had visited since she had left Remnant behind, the others being Alderaan and Corellia.

Alderaan was a true paradise, one that Ruby would have loved to explore more. It was everything Remnant could have been, had it not been for the Grimm… and the Empire now. She would return someday, with her friends, and explore the world. But at the time of her visit, she did not have the time to dally and had to move on.

Corellia, on the other hand, had been the real heaven for the young huntress. Tech and weapons everywhere. All those new and exciting things to see. Oh, how she would have loved to stay and see how far she would be able to upgrade her beloved Crescent Rose. But again, she was pressed for time and was lucky enough to find Captain Solo when she did. Hitching a ride to Tatooine hadn't been too difficult. The right amount of Credits swayed the smuggler's mind rather quickly.

She would have to thank Senator Organa for setting her up with everything she had needed, money most of all. Technically this still is a mission she was doing for the man and he was just paying her upfront for it, but they both knew that this was also a personal thing for her. Finding the last Jedi… it meant as much to her as it did to him. Luckily enough, the Senator also knew exactly where in the galaxy she should start her search for Kenobi.

Which lead her to this barren wasteland. Now… now she had hit rock bottom. Tatooine. The most inhospitable place she had ever laid eyes on. Just how people could willingly live here was beyond her understanding.

But there was one thing she did understand now. It was obvious why her friends had decided to let her come here on her own. Both the remains of Team RWBY and Team JNPR had left on other assignments. Some for the rebellion, some for more selfish pursuits. But all of them had seen what Tatooine would be like and none of them had warned her about it. Ruby could only grumble about her own idiocy and her excitement that had lead her to come here without checking the facts first. But… in the end, she would be the one who returns triumphant. With the greatest remaining Jedi in tow. Obi-Wan Kenobi, she would find him and bring him back to Alderaan. The future of the rebellion might depend on it. And then he would teach her and she would become really powerful and super awesome and all… She almost squealed with anticipation.

But first, she had to take care of some things. She needed a speeder, enough supplies to make it through the desert and most of all, she had to find out where to go. Seriously, she felt hopelessly lost, as she stood in the dusty streets of Mos Eisley, surrounded by alien sights and alien sounds, and smells. Worst of all the smells. She didn't even have the words to describe them... This place was nothing like the predominantly human worlds she had visited before.

"Maybe this wasn't one of my brightest ideas," she chuckled awkwardly.

No, she wouldn't give up. She could feel it again, the gentle nudge in the right direction. The Force guides me, she whispered. Again and again, like a mantra. She must have looked like a madwoman to the people on the street. Not that she cared. If they want to start trouble, she would let Crescent Rose do the talking. A good hit on the back of that head had dissuaded even the most eager of men thus far.

"Alright… up we go," she decided to get her bearings first. Find some high enough place to get a good look at the starport and the surrounding area. And after that… she would let the Force guide her.

* * *

Old Ben Kenobi frowned deeply, as he sat in his speeder, not far from the Lars Homestead. The moisture farmers didn't know he was near, as he intended. It would only cause more friction, but he had to protect the boy in their care. Luke was too important to leave him unguarded for long. But everything was calm and peaceful here, on this day.

However, something wasn't right. There had been a tremor in the Force. One he hadn't felt since the last would be Jedi had left. Since Maul had come and gone forever. Someone else had landed on the planet. Someone strong in the Force, stronger than Maul and that Padawan combined.

He would have to investigate this. He couldn't allow for anyone to find Anakin's son. No Sith and none of the remaining Jedi. If Vader ever found his son… Kenobi didn't want to imagine the outcome of that encounter. He would either lash out in hatred, as he had done with Padme, his own wife, or he would corrupt the boy. Either outcome would steal the galaxy of what little hope it had left in these dark times.

He would have to start training Luke soon. If only the boy's foolish uncle, Owen Lars, wasn't so dead set against it. They were running out of time and every day wasted the Emperor and Darth Vader would grow stronger. The darkness that had the galaxy in its chokehold was ever present.

But first things first. This new presence. He hoped that it was a Jedi. Someone he could reason with, not like A'Sharad Hett, who had lost himself to his anger and forgot about his life as a protector of peace.

Strangely enough, the disturbance he could feel was not moving towards his current location, but rather towards… his own hut. Curious. No one knew where exactly he lives these days. It was better that way. The few people that came out this far knew that he was out there somewhere, but if they ever needed him for something, he would find them first. But this newcomer was moving directly towards his home.

He quickly left the Lars Homestead, intent on reaching his hut before the disturbance would arrive. His curiosity was definitely peaked, but at the same time, he couldn't help but worry. He had gone to great lengths to keep his existence hidden. He wondered whether that Padawan who had lured Maul here had revealed his secret. It had been a gamble to let the boy go without ensuring that he wouldn't talk about what he had seen, but it was too late for regrets now.

He tried to intercept this newcomer, so he pushed his speeder almost to the brink of breaking down. And then… then the presence he felt suddenly stopped moving. He knew that land well enough to know the reason why.

The canyons in this area are considered tribal lands by the local Tusken tribe. They had learned by now not to bother Kenobi, but every other uninvited visitor would quickly face the full might of the tribe. Swift and merciless.

Ben heard the sounds of the fight long before he could see it. Blasters shooting, the fierce warcry of the tribal warriors, the sound of an explosion. Smoke rose high above the canyon. He could only hope that he wasn't too late to help his unfortunate would be visitor.

Yet, he was surprised. The Tusken, numbering more than a dozen at least, were outmatched and outgunned as it seemed. Though they had destroyed the speeder, the driver was far from the easy prey they had expected.

It was a woman by the looks. Her face was obscured by a red hood, but it wasn't that which caught old Ben's attention. It was the way she was fighting the Tusken. She alternated between close and long-range combat in a matter of moments, her weapon changing with the type of assault. At one moment she had a large blaster rifle in her hand, the next she was mowing down the raiders with a scythe that seemed almost twice her size. Then there was her speed. Unnatural for a normal human. Unmatched even for most of the Jedi he had known.

He waited and observed, as she rid herself of the last Tusken. She hadn't killed them, much to his surprise. Most held little regard for Tatooine's native species, especially the belligerent Tusken. Yet none of her attacks were fatal. Seeing this kind of regard for life soothed Ben's worries greatly. A gentle soul, foolish as she may be, would surely be open to reason. And maybe she would answer the questions that plagued him now. She was surely no Jedi, but her presence in the Force was quite strong. Strong and unfocused. Whoever she was, she was untrained in the ways of the Force. Her powers felt like a violent storm.

"Oh, hi there!"

She had spotted him, shortly after the last Tusken had fled. Her weapon was gone, reverting to a more manageable size to be carried on her back, as she approached him. She removed her hood, to reveal her youthful face. She was young, very young indeed. Just by the looks, she couldn't be older than Luke. But she was certainly shorter. She barely reached his chin with her black and red hair. But what truly stood out were her eyes.

"You have silver eyes," the old man muttered, as he looked at her.

She laughed awkwardly, her gaze downcast. "Well… is this some sort of, I don't know, strange way of greeting people amongst the elderly teaching types?" She quickly realized what she had said and tried to backtrack, "I mean… You don't look that old… or not… or."

"Calm yourself, child," Ben told her calmly. "The ravages of time have not spared me, so do not fear that you have insulted me, inadvertently as it was."

"Ah, that's good… I guess," she sighed, "Sorry. I'm still not so good with people, even after all the time those palace types on Alderaan have tried to make a proper lady out of me."

"Alderaan?" Ben asked, "Are you a servant of Bail Organa then?"

"Kind of… I don't know really. I am searching for someone on his behalf, so…"

What a curious young woman. Ben was surprised by sheer innocence this girl exuded. Not just with the way she looked and fumbled around with words, but also with her presence in the Force. Pure and uncorrupted, like a youngling fresh out of her clan at the temple.

"Who is it you are looking for? Not many people live so far away from the major settlements here on Tatooine."

"Ah, right. You wouldn't know some old Jedi man named Obi-Wan Kenobi?" she asked eagerly.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi… now that is a name I haven't heard in a very long time," Ben reminisced. He hadn't used the name since the start of his exile, an eternity ago.

"You know him?" she asked, bouncing with excitement.

"You could say that. I am him. Or rather, I used to be him."

A blindingly bright smile blossomed on her face, as she looked at him. She almost squealed with happiness, as she began jumping around like a child on a sugar rush.

"Ha, take that, Jaune! I'm the first to find my Jedi!" she yelled triumphantly, he gaze directed towards the sky. Ben could only wonder who this Jaune fellow is. But somehow he pitied him already. "Hey, but that means…" She suddenly turned back towards Ben, her face filled with undisguised happiness. "Can I see your Lightsaber? Pretty please?"

He wondered why she was suddenly interested in his weapon. But he felt no deceit or any ulterior motives from her, only happiness and curiosity, so he pushed his brown robe aside and showed the hilt of his Lightsaber, which hung from his belt.

"This is so awesome! Is it green or blue or yellow? Or is it red? Of course not, silly me, only those three Sith fellows use red!"

Three? Ben frowned. As far as he knew, there were only two. There were always only two unless Vader had finally gotten himself an apprentice to destroy his master. But the idea of more Sith roaming the galaxy was quite unsettling.

"I do believe we should continue our chat at my home. Surely you are just as eager as I am to get out of the scorching heat." She nodded, her eyes still focused on his Lightsaber. "Come then, my speeder is just around the corner. Yours won't be going anywhere in a long time."

"Yeah… I kind of shot it. I was a bit too eager, I guess," she laughed sheepishly, as she rubbed her neck with her left hand.

* * *

The drive to Kenobi's hut had only been a short one, but to Ruby, it felt like a lifetime. She was brimming with happiness that she had managed to find the Obi-Wan Kenobi, the famous Jedi General. Bail Organa had told such fantastic tales about the man. And then there was the ghost dude who had all but ordered her to find Kenobi for training. And now she was here, sitting next to him in his speeder.

And best of all, she had gotten her first good look at a real Lightsaber. A Lightsaber! It looked so awesome. Maybe he would let her hold if she asked nice enough? Surely he would, why wouldn't he? Or maybe not. She wasn't really fond of strangers touching Crescent Rose, so maybe asking to touch his Lightsaber might be seen as too forward…

She groaned lightly. The heat was finally getting to her, she was sure of it. Her head was pounding and her throat dry.

Old man Kenobi next to her didn't see her discomfort, or at least he was courteous enough not to mention it? Was courteous even the right word? She wondered. Weiss and those tutors on Alderaan would schedule another session of grueling remedial lessons if they knew about this…

Soon enough they had reached the hut where Kenobi had lived for the past few years. It wasn't very impressive on the outside and the view wasn't exactly anything to be envied. But as far as hiding spots go, it was certainly doing its job. Without help, she would have never found this place.

The moment she was inside and out of the heat, she collapsed on the ground with a content sigh.

"Is everything alright?" Kenobi asked her, clearly worried about her sudden collapse.

"Just enjoying the cool floor for some moments."

"If you say so," Kenobi answered, obviously bewildered by her antics. "You should drink something, miss..."

"OH! Right, sorry. I haven't even introduced myself," Ruby realized. Yet another reason for Weiss to frown and berate. Ruby couldn't hide the shudder as she imagined what her partner would do to her, should she ever find out. She put those thoughts aside and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "My name is Ruby Rose and I am here to become a Jedi!" she declared loudly.

Kenobi looked thoughtful for a moment before he disappeared from the room. Ruby wondered whether she had already scared him off, but to her relief, he reappeared moments later with two metal cups filled with clear water.

"Drink, child. The heat must have gone to your head," he told her calmly, as he sat down on a chair not far from her. "I fear I have to disappoint you, though. There are no more Jedi in the galaxy. Only broken remains of what has once been."

"But you are a Jedi!"

"That has been a long time ago. When the Jedi had been keepers of the peace in the galaxy. These days… what remains of us is overshadowed by the dark side and its servants."

There was some sadness in his voice. Even Ruby could pick up on that. But she wasn't one to give up easily.

"But that blue ghost dude told me you would train me," she told him.

"Blue ghost?"

"Yeah. He appeared while I was out in the palace gardens on Alderaan," avoiding her tutors and an irate Weiss, she added in her mind. The memory brought a smile to her lips, "I was sitting under a tree, dozing off when he appeared," and she cut down that tree when she jumped up in surprise and used Crescent Rose to defend herself.

"Did he… did he tell you his name?" Kenobi asked.

"Nope… I kind of forgot to ask..."

"Was it Qui-Gon Jinn?" the Jedi wondered. "I haven't felt his presence in many years."

"What is it with Jedi and those super weird names?" she muttered. "He wasn't big on formality," bless him for that, "And he only said to me: You must be trained, go find Obi-Wan Kenobi, he will train you. And woosh, he was gone. Freaked me out a bit, to be honest."

The old Jedi looked thoughtful at that. Ruby could only guess what was going through his head at that time, but he remained silent for a long time. She could only sit there and sipped her water, as the awkward silence continued.

"You told me initially that Senator Organa has sent you." It wasn't a question, nor an accusation. Merely a statement that demanded elaboration. Or so she thought.

"Well, after that ghost thingy, I asked about your name. No one gave me an answer, but they immediately sent me to the Senator and he set everything up. And here I am."

"Interesting. But this is kind of typical for Bail Organa. He has tried to enlist me for his budding rebellion for years now."

"And why didn't you join? Isn't it the Jedi's duty to protect the people?" Ruby asked as she frowned. Thinking too much about this made her head hurt more.

"My duties keep me here," Kenobi stated, without any inkling that he would say any more about it.

"Okay… this is… awkward, I guess."

"So tell me, Ruby, why did you join Bail's rebellion?"

All bright and happy thoughts left Ruby, as the somber reality settled in. She had tried to push it all away, to distract herself with the prospect of becoming a Jedi and helping people with their super awesome space wizardry, but the past cannot be forgotten.

"Two years ago the Empire came to my homeworld. It's a planet called Remnant, formerly hidden in the Deep Core of this galaxy. They conquered us literally in one night. We never stood a chance against their numbers and the threat of orbital bombardment. So they took our world, our homes, our everything. All because of the resources of our planet."

"There is more to this," Kenobi noted, "A more personal reason for you."

Ruby flinched, but complied, "Yeah. My sister, Yang. She was killed while trying to defend our school. This evil man, Darth Vader, he cut her down, right in front of our friend's eyes. She was always so strong and confident. Always protecting me from all the bad in the world. And now she is gone."

"Revenge is not a good reason to fight. It quickly turns into hatred and obsession. And from there it festers into all kinds of dark feelings, until the dark side of the Force swallows you," Kenobi lectured, though his voice showed more compassion than the wish to upbraid her.

"It's not revenge I'm after," Ruby stated hastily, "But I want to stop this evil man. I want to stop him, so he can't do the same to other families as well. It's why I joined the first rebel group my friends and I could find after leaving Remnant."

In the past, all she had ever wanted to do was help the people. To fight the Grimm and protect those who couldn't fight. Then the Empire happened, with all their military and chaos. They fought back the Grimm, but subjugated their world and enslaved its people. New enemies that require new ways to fight them.

"To defeat Vader… that is no easy feat. Some might say it even borders on impossible these days," Kenobi muttered.

"I will defeat him!" she stated with all the conviction she could muster. "I will find a way to do it… though it would be easier if you were to agree to train me..."

Another uncomfortable silence fell over the room, as Kenobi began to stroke his white beard. He looked deep in thought and Ruby could only hope that at the end of his deliberation, he would agree to train her. Even the smallest amount of training would help. Just some pointers. And maybe Team JNPR has more luck finding any of the other missing Jedi on the list.

But suddenly something changed. As if the air in the room had gotten even colder. An uncomfortable coldness. Oppressive, depressing.

"Vader," Kenobi muttered, "He is here, in space above his world. I can sense him. And he isn't alone."

"Oh no. We need to get to a ship and flee then!" Ruby said. She was no fool, she was well aware that she was not powerful enough to stand against Vader, not even with Obi-Wan Kenobi at her side. Especially not when he has his apprentice with him. Draconis, that darn abominable traitor. The one who had betrayed Remnant to the Empire.

"Yes, we cannot linger any longer," Kenobi agreed. "I can mask my presence well enough to hide from him, but you are like a shining beacon in a sea of darkness."

"So you will train me?"

"I need to speak to Bail Organa before I can agree to anything. I will go to Alderaan with you. But first I need to pick up another possible apprentice. I still have a promise to keep and a mission to fulfill."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, that's all for now.**

 **So to clear some up some of the most pressing concerns, I'm gonne elaborate on where exactly in the RWBY timeline this story starts.**

 **The attack on Remnant had taken place two years prior to the stories beginning, as mentioned in this chapter. The attack pretty much ruined Cinder's original plan with Vader and an army attacking the planet near the end of the Vytal festival. So the invasion pretty much replaces the last few episodes of Volume 3. This means that most people who died during Cinder's attack are still around. Not Penny, though. Pyrrha still turned Penny into Quarters. Whether Cinder still got to kill Amber or not... well that remains to be seen.**

 **This also means that agewise Ruby would be around 17-18, seeing as she was 15 in Vol3 and 16 in Vol4.**

 **But I also want to say that the story has no set pairings as of yet. Maybe there will be some later down the road, but that remains to be seen.**

 **And about the Star Wars part of the story, while I try to stick mostly to the Legends Lore. I will try to keep some of the current Canon storylines, like Rogue One and Rebels, but that's about it. I try to find a balance between Legends and the Disney Canon.**

 **I have to admit I have come to like this story idea and I will continue to write some more chapters for this. Just imagining where the different people from Remnant might have ended up is quite entertaining. So expect more of this. While I do know that making Ruby a Jedi might seem somewhat... typical, she is pretty much meant to be the good guy in every story she is in. Being a Jedi, now that's a role I can really see her in.**

 **And last but not least, a little info about the next chapter. The next chapter will see Weiss, more Ruby and her obsessions with Lightsabers and of course the evil space wizards... I mean the Sith. Until next time then...**


	2. Draconis

**So, here we have chapter two of the story. It was nice to see that there is some interest in this kind of crossover story. Let's see if the new chapter can live up to that.**

 **It would seem that I have to address one thing though, which had been mentioned in the reviews. Ruby is not meant to replace Luke she has her own plot that happens alongside the original story. She will be present for some major events though. And no, Ruby isn't more powerful than Luke. Obi-Wan's comment about her being a beacon of light in the darkness was not meant to indicate that she is some godlike super Jedi Mary-Sue. She just uses the Force at all times, which makes her rather easy to detect for nearby Sith. And she is a rather pure character, so she is more inclined towards the Light side, which makes her stand out even more.**

 **But sadly there won't be anything like a Lightsaber Scythe. I've looked for anything similar, but there had been no mention of a Lightsaber with a curved blade. Curved hilts, yes, but not the blades. Of course, there had been a so-called Lightwhips, who worked similar to Lightsabers, but that required several smaller crystals and it should be hard enough for Ruby and friends to get their hands on normal sized crystals. So making a Scythe with a Lightsaber blade is not entirely impossible, but not really feasible in this story.**

 **But of course, there are methods to strengthen Crescent Rose to be able to withstand Lightsaber attacks. Ther is the Cortosis-Weave, which makes it possible for a normal blade to keep up with a Lightsaber, but that is also rather rare at the time of the Empire. Not as difficult to get as a crystal, though. Oh well, I will see what I can do. But do let me know what you would prefer. Something akin to a Lightwhip or a strengthened Crescent Rose.**

 **Alright, let's go on with the chapter. Weiss makes her first appearance...**

* * *

She couldn't sleep. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much her body had begged her for rest, she couldn't find sleep. Maybe it was the tiny cabin she had been given on the ship. Sparsely furnished, no windows and only the one exit opposite of the bed. Or maybe it was because the room was entirely too white, too clean. Almost like her family's new accommodations on Coruscant.

A mirthless chuckle escaped her. Despite her name, despite her reputation, she had started to loathe the color white and the chill of the winter.

But no, she knew exactly why she couldn't sleep. It was the hum of the ship, as it traversed the stars through Hyperspace. It somehow unsettles her, keeps her mind alert even when it doesn't need to. It was even tugging on her Aura, this unseen force that seemed to prod her defenses.

She groaned in annoyance, as she sat up on the bed. Rest wouldn't come and all she had achieved by retiring to this room was annoying herself further. No, Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, wasn't a happy person at the moment.

It was these moments of supposed rest, where her mind began to wander. Just how had her life gone so wrong in just a few years? The Empire had started the changes, but her father had finished them. The Emperor's newest lackey. The slaver. The Dust merchant. The white-haired fool. She had heard many more names for her father, both on Coruscant, where her family resides now, and on Alderaan.

Alderaan. The only good thing that had ever come from her father's servitude to the monsters who had enslaved their world was this one planet. It was her chance at freedom. A freedom she had given up on when her father had dragged her back to Atlas after Beacon and Remnant had fallen to the Empire.

Oh, the foolish old man. Her father considered it a chance and privilege to have his daughter study under the much respected Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan. Little could he have known that he had sent his defiant daughter right into the waiting arms of the rebellion.

She stood up from the bed and stretched her weary limbs. Sleep would have to wait. Soon they would arrive at whatever place Princess Leia had decided to take their precious cargo to. Weiss wasn't entirely sure what the princess' great hope really is, but after their narrow escape above Scarif, the Schnee heiress was sure that the Empire wouldn't hesitate to hunt them down. And this time, they wouldn't be able to escape with a slap on the wrist for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. This time Princess' Leia's actions would bring dire consequences for all of them.

The ship shook violently, as it left Hyperspace, nearly knocking Weiss off her feet. Something wasn't right. No, something was terribly wrong. Had they already arrived? She wasn't sure how much time she had spent in this barren room, but the way the ship had exited Hyperspace was far too violent to have been voluntary.

She was quick to leave her room and find the princess. Outside, the princess' guards were running about, seemingly aimless in such a small ship, but all in the greatest hurry of their lives, as the alarm blared incessantly. Such an annoying sound it was as if someone had recorded the battle cry of a Nevermore only to play it an endless loop.

Weiss' frown only grew, as the gravity of the situation began to weigh down on her. The princess wouldn't be spared. And neither would she. Her father wasn't nearly as influential as he likes to think and this was definitely far above his political pull. No, if there was to be any hope of survival, they would have to find it on their own.

She found Leia on the bridge of the ship, where the princess listened to the ramblings of Captain Antilles.

"We have reached the orbit above Tatooine, highness, but the Empire is here as well," the captain told Leia, his face marred deeply by a sorrowful frown. "Please, you must leave the ship with an escape pod at once, or else I fear for your very life."

"I can't just abandon everyone else here to their fate and..." the princess stopped suddenly, as she saw Weiss standing at the entrance of the bridge. "Good, you are here."

"Princess," Weiss greeted with a small nod of her head. "We are in trouble, I take it." In her mind, Weiss added the word 'again'. Somehow Leia Organa was prone to end up in trouble, almost as bad as a certain former team leader she knew.

"More than that," growled Captain Antilles. "A Star Destroyer is closing in on us and the rest of the system is swarming with Imperials. We have no chance to escape. The princess must leave this ship before the Empire can destroy it. They wouldn't dare to harm her once she has reached a major settlement on the planet. The public backlash would be devastating to them."

"If you truly believe that, you are a fool," Weiss replied coldly. "That ship, if it is the same one that has taken down Admiral Raddus ship above Scarif, then nothing will keep them from just executing us all, Princess Leia included. Vader and his attack dog had been on that ship and we all know that they do not understand the concept of mercy and restraint."

"Preposterous, her highness is a member of the Imperial Senate, they wouldn't dare to..."

"They would," Leia agreed, "Weiss is correct. But my life is not the most important cargo of this ship. The plans of the Empire's new superweapon must reach the rebel command or everything will have been for nothing."

"Captain, the Star Destroyer has captured us with its tractor beam. We are being pulled in," one of the pilots yelled.

The cold feeling of dread beset Weiss once more. No turning back, no escape. Was this to be her last stand? After all, she had seen and done? One final fight, without even a chance to see the remainders of her former team ever reunited again? Without ever finding her sister? She sighed deeply, as she tried to remove the doubts from her mind. Despite her father's cowardice and all he had done to muddy the family name, she was still a Schnee and the Schnees' never back down.

"All hands abandon ship," the captain ordered. But Leia didn't comply, "Highness, please, you must escape while there is still a chance."

"The time is up," Weiss muttered.

Through the small windows of the bridge, they could see the first escape pods leave the ship. But they didn't get far. None of them escaped the canons of the nearing Star Destroyer. And even if they had, the system was swarming with TIE Fighters.

"Princess, I do fear that we will have to go down fighting, regrettable as that may be," Weiss told Leia, as her hand grasped the hilt of her sword. Myrtenaster hung at her side, ready to be used. Not that it would do her any good against the likes of Vader.

"Captain, have your remaining men prepare for battle," Leia ordered.

Antilles saluted quickly before he ran off to reorganize his men into a somewhat stable fighting force. All of them knew that they stood no chance, but little resistance is better than none at all.

"What about the plans?" Weiss asked, "You said something about plans for a new superweapon."

Leia nodded, as pulled as small data card from her white robes. "They need to get to the surface. There is someone down there who can deliver them to my father. I can only hope that this Obi-Wan Kenobi will realize the importance of this..."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi? The old Jedi General?"

"You know him?" Leia asked.

"No, not personally. But my partner, Ruby, she is searching for that man. On your father's orders," Weiss muttered. Her eyes wandered towards the small windows of the bridge and the dust ball outside. Tatooine. Is Ruby down there? So close, yet so distant. Maybe it was for the better that she wasn't here with them. No reason to lose even more members of Team RWBY on this day. To Vader no less… That she would die against the same enemy as Yang… she would never have thought it possible...

The planet outside disappeared from view, as the ship was finally pulled into the belly of the Star Destroyer, removing any hope of escape, no matter how fleeting it might have been.

"Weiss, I need to get these plans off the ship. Can you buy me some more time?"

"Can I?" Weiss replied, a confident smirk on her lips.

"Weiss!" the princess scolded, expecting a real answer.

Weiss chuckled, "I will give them a frigid welcome. Go, but don't expect too much."

"Thank you, Weiss… And I'm sorry, for dragging you into this mess. This has never been your fight and..."

"Just get going, you dolt. We can mourn each other later," Weiss said before she walked off.

She hadn't seen the fond smile and the look of deep regret that followed onto the princess' face. They may have known each other for barely a year, but it was enough. Enough to find a kinship with each other. Neither would want the other to die, but both we willing to make the sacrifice if need be.

Weiss quickly arrived at the place where the crew got ready for their last stand. Less than twenty men were left. Two or three more with Captain Antilles who, stubborn as he is, went off to find and guard the princess.

Weiss took a deep breath, as she tried to muster all the strength and courage she had left in her. She shrugged off the heavy outer robes of her diplomat getup, leaving her arms bare, as she pulled Myrtenaster from its place.

With confidence bordering on death-defying arrogance, she walked past the men and towards the forefront of their makeshift defenses. The men said nothing, not that she would have listened.

The enemy was about to break through the bulkhead that separated the two ships, as Weiss raised her weapon. In her head, she repeated all the motions. Perfected in countless hours of hard training. Once more she would fight. Not the Grimm, as she had been trained to do, but the Empire and its forces of evil. One last time.

Time seemed to slow as the enemies troops finally broke through and stormed into the narrow corridor. Blaster shots rained down on Weiss and the men behind her, but she shrugged it off. She wouldn't back down. Instead, she charged towards the soldiers. Her Aura would be able to shrug off some hits. Not many, but enough to get close enough to fight them. They still hurt though, each and every hit she suffered felt like a searing hot iron got pressed against her naked skin.

The enemy's Storm Troopers had clearly not expected someone to engage them in close combat and were taken by surprise when the white blur suddenly appeared between them cut them down. Chaos reigned amongst the first wave of troopers, as some even pushed back into the Star Destroyer to escape Weiss' reach.

Myrtenaster, her faithful blade, cut through their armor with relative ease. Built to overcome the thick skin of the most dangerous Grimm, the thin armor of the Empire's soldiers offered almost no resistance at all.

When the last attacker of the first wave fell under her onslaught, the Schnee heiress used her glyphs to push herself back towards her own allies. The men around her could only look at her in awe and some even in fear, as she stood before them.

What a sight she must be, Weiss thought grimly. In her white clothes, with her white hair and cold blue eyes, she must truly look like the Ice Queen her friends had always liked to call her. Back in the old days, at Beacon, when the world had still made sense. A lifetime ago.

She looked down at herself and saw that her clothing was slightly scorched in some places. The shirt and the trousers, far too white in the beginning, were no blackened in some places. But the skin beneath hurt badly, but it was still unblemished. Her Aura had protected her from the worst, but it wouldn't be able to take any more hits before collapsing.

"So uncultured," she muttered, as she tried to brush off some of the perceived dirt on her clothes. Not that it was any use. The outfit was ruined. She wouldn't mourn it. The diplomat getup she had been given to fit in with the Princess' entourage wasn't even her style.

"And now they will learn true fear," she chuckled darkly, as she knelt down, Myrtenaster stabbed into a glyph beneath her feet. Winter's last lesson. The last thing her sister had taught her before she had disappeared in the chaos of the invasion. Summoning.

She had learned to fear the Grimm as a child, now it was the Empire's turn to fear them as well. A white Beowolf arose from her glyph, just as the Storm Troopers returned for their next attack wave. The imperial soldiers had not expected to find a monster waiting for them.

The Beowolf roared loudly before it charged and tore through the enemies ranks.

There was a morbid fascination in watching her own creating tearing other human beings to shreds. Weiss didn't know why, but she just couldn't look the other way. She wondered what this would say about her mental health. She hadn't been overly fond of killing when she had been at Beacon, but now… Everything has changed.

The first Beowolf died eventually, after taking enough hits from the enemies blasters. She knew that the Empire was using the Grimm on Remnant to test their weapons and bloody their special forces these days, but it was obvious that the run of the mill blaster rifle was not as effective as these soldiers would have liked.

Weiss summoned another, but the Storm Troopers fell back again. The men behind her began to cheer, encouraged by her single-handedly beating back two assaults. But she knew that she was nearing her limit. One more, at best. This was taking more of her strength than she had expected. And she was no fool, she knew that in an open field she wouldn't have lasted nearly as long against such a numerous enemy. They could send another hundred assaults and there would still be enough soldiers left for another two or three hundred attacks to follow.

She sent her Summon forward, to attack the enemy on their ship for once, but the moment it had reached the destroyed bulkhead, it was thrown back by an invisible force.

"ENOUGH!" a foreboding voice shouted. Sinister, metallic, yet strangely familiar. Where had she heard it before?

She got her answer moments later when instead of another wave of Storm Troopers, only one figure entered the ship. Clad in a dark armor of varying shades of black and silver, this new enemy was clearly not a run of the mill soldier.

"Oh no..." Weiss exclaimed as she saw the face of the attacker… or rather the lack thereof. All she could stare at was the bone white helmet, fashioned to look like a Grimm Dragon. "Draconis..."

The men behind her were shaking with fear. The only thing worse than Draconis would have been Vader himself, but the apprentice was enough to strike fear into her enemies hearts.

Yet Weiss only felt anger as she saw this foe. A former student of Beacon. Maybe even one of her friends or acquaintances, hidden behind a grotesque mask. The traitor who had helped to destroy everything they had known.

"Well done, Ice Queen. Never thought that you would have it in you, this kind of carnage," Draconis chuckled darkly.

Weiss' Beowolf attacked Draconis, even without its mistress' command, but it didn't get far. Cut into pieces, by the twin Lightsabers of the Sith apprentice. The crimson blades of Draconis' weapons seemed to shimmer and dance, not entirely stable, yet contained in their form.

"Playtime is over," Draconis announced before she attacked. Fast. Frighteningly so.

Weiss tried to parry the first strike, but her waning strength made that impossible. Myrtenaster was turned into scrap metal in an instant and Weiss braced herself for the pain of dismemberment that would follow. It never came. She was hit with the blunt force of Draconis' attack. Yet it wasn't the Lightsabers that struck her, but a mighty kick that against her chest sent her flying backward until she hit the wall at the other end of the corridor with enough strength to nearly knocking her out.

She clung to her consciousness, but as she heard the anguished cries of the rebels, the last of her strength was failing her. The last she saw was Draconis kneeling right before her, watching her, as she lost her fight and her eyes closed against her will.

"Don't worry, Ice Queen, you and I are going to have a great time, just as we had at Beacon," Draconis chuckled, as Weiss drifted off.

* * *

Ruby watched quietly, as the old Jedi disappeared in the crowd of the cantina, leaving her alone to keep an eye on Luke Skywalker, the boy Kenobi had been so keen on picking up as well. She wasn't entirely sure why, though. But if the Jedi said that the boy is important, she wouldn't argue, especially not in the situation they were in.

She was worried. Greatly so. Luke had been a nice boy at first. A bit odd, perhaps, but she wasn't really one who should point out other people's flaws. She had plenty of them herself… But after all that had happened, Luke was quieter now. More somber. Understandable, after he had lost his family in an imperial attack on his home.

Somehow Ruby felt at least partially responsible for that. Not for the attack, but for the deaths of Luke's aunt and uncle. Old Ben had to postpone his plans to pick up Luke because of her. The old Jedi had insisted that they couldn't go unless she had gained some form of control over her powers.

She wasn't even sure how she had done it. But according to the old man, she was constantly using the Force in some way. Only after some experimentation, she had realized that he had meant her Aura. Shutting it down was… difficult. And unpleasant. She had grown so accustomed to her constant protection, that suppressing it made her feel naked and vulnerable. But they had to hide from the Sith nearby, so there was no choice.

But the time she had needed to learn this, was the time they had lost. In the end, Luke came to them, not the other way round. He came with two Droids in tow. Luke was safe, but his family paid the price.

"Now look at this pretty little thing in our cantina."

Ruby almost shuddered, as she heard the slimy voice behind her. She hoped that whoever it was, he wasn't talking about her. But as she turned around to have a look, she saw two thugs standing nearby. One was an alien of a species she hadn't seen before, the other looked like a pig Faunus caught in a grease fire. And both openly leered at her. Or at least she supposed that the alien leered, she wasn't sure how to tell.

"Hey there, pretty one, why don't we go somewhere more quiet, to get better acquainted?" the pig suggested, a lecherous grin spreading on his face.

"She's not interested," Luke interjected, as he pushed himself between Ruby and the thugs.

Ruby smiled a bit at the sweet gesture, but she also groaned, as Luke was now in her way. Should the thugs try anything, she could have easily taught them some manners, but now the farm boy was in her way.

"You better watch yourself, boy," the pig growled.

Ruby watched the scene with growing agitation, as the alien behind the pig seemed rather antsy. She had heard more than one warning about seedy cantinas and the ever existing chance to get shot in the back by some angry or drunk idiot. She had a feeling that those thugs were both angry and drunk, not to mention that both openly carried their blasters on their belts.

The alien behind the pig growled something Ruby couldn't understand, but the pig was quick to translate, "He doesn't like you," the pig told Luke.

"That's a pity," Luke told him before he tried to turn away. But the pig grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn back.

"I don't like you either! You better..."

The pig didn't get to finish. Ruby was sure that the situation would escalate, so she intervened. She pushed past Luke, Crescent Rose already in hand and in its rifle form. Before the pig could utter another word, he was thrown across the cantina, after getting hit point blank by a shot.

The entire cantina fell silent, all eyes now resting upon the young woman with the large red rifle in her hands.

"And that is the only way I would ever touch his kind," Ruby stated, her voice chipper, as she put her weapon away again. The message had been sent and now the vast majority of the patrons around her felt the sudden urge to increase the distance to her. Many decided to leave the cantina entirely.

Luke looked at her, his face showing a mixture of surprise and shock. It did make her feel a tad bit uncomfortable, to be honest.

"What?" she asked him.

"You just shot that guy with a giant rifle!"

"Oh please, it was only a stun shot. He'll be fine," she said, as she looked where the pig had landed. The thug was lying, unconscious, between several tables. His alien friend was nowhere to be seen. "Probably," she added, looking a tad bit more skeptical. He wasn't dead, that's what counts.

"You're insane," Luke muttered before he chuckled.

Moments later Obi-Wan returned. He didn't look pleased. His stern frown reminded her of Professor Goodwitch on one of her bad days, so she did what she would have done at Beacon. She smiled and pretended nothing had happened.

The old man's gaze remained hard and unyielding.

"I didn't do it..." she began, "I mean it was an accident," but her words did not sway the Jedi. "He made me do it," she pointed at Luke deciding that surely the boy would be able to stand against the disappointed grandfatherly face of old Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Wait, what?" Luke said, a shocked look on his face.

Obi-Wan watched them both, his gaze stern before he sighed and shook his head. "Come, I've found us a pilot who will take us to Alderaan," he told them.

Before Ruby could say anything, he had grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pushed her towards one of the booths on the other side of the cantina. It was obvious that the old Jedi didn't want to give her another chance to cause trouble, even if that meant that he had to keep an eye on her at all times.

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise, as they reached the booth, where two very familiar figures sat. She saw the hairy giant first. Chewbacca, the Wookie. She would have to remember this. Wookie… it sounded like something to eat… now she was hungry. But then her eyes met those of Captain Solo, who looked at her in absolute disbelief.

"Oh great, it's you again," the smuggler muttered dejectedly.

"You know each other?" Obi-Wan inquired.

Ruby nodded, grinning widely, "Captain Solo was the one who brought me to Tatooine. And if I remember correctly, you promised to take me wherever I want without charging me full."

"That offer was off the table the moment you left my ship," Solo shot back before he groaned in annoyance. He obviously wasn't the happiest person at that moment.

"A discount won't be necessary," Obi-Wan assured, "All we need is a safe passage for us three and two Droids to Alderaan."

"No cargo?" Solo asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Only passengers."

Solo seemed to contemplate the offer for some moments. Ruby knew that he wasn't exactly fond of passengers on his ship. He was very possessive of it, similar to Ruby's own possessiveness when it comes to Crescent Rose.

"Can his ship even get through the blockade around the planet?" Luke asked, "My friends and I have seen the battle from an observatory, the system must be crawling with Imperials right now."

"Can we outrun them? Listen, boy, my ship is the fastest in the whole sector and..."

"And it is armed enough to shake off the fighter patrols until we can escape into Hyperspace," Ruby finished before she continued to ramble about the weapons she had seen on the Millenium Falcon.

All the while Captain Solo looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. "Just how comes she knows more about our weapons than you do?" The smuggler asked his hairy companion. The Wookie only shrugged.

Ruby laugh in embarrassment, as she realized that she had just proven once more how much of a weapon's nerd she really is. "I was kinda bored during our trip and… got acquainted with the ship?"

"Was that a question or a statement?" Luke wondered.

"It doesn't matter," Obi-Wan said, a hint of finality in his voice. "Your ship can take us to Alderaan and we can pay you. So are you taking us or not?"

Solo seemed to be in deep thought again before he nodded. "Fine. Red hood here knows where to find my ship. I need to tie up some loose ends, then I will join you. Don't be late or I will be leaving without you."

* * *

Weiss' head throbbed painfully, as she finally regained consciousness. She dizzy and disoriented, as she opened her eyes. She quickly closed them again, as she had stared directly into a blinding light. Another flash of searing pain shot through her skull.

Only belatedly she realized that she was floating. Not because of a lack of gravity, though. She was floating in a tank, filled to the brim with a clear liquid, her mouth an nose covered by a breathing mask. Bacta, she realized. The way her skin was tingling, especially around her old scars and wounds, left no doubt about that. For some reason, she had been put into a Bacta tank. Why?

The battle… her breath nearly hitched, as she remembered it. The ship, the rebels… Princess Leia… What had happened since then? She remembered fighting the Imperial boarding party, then Draconis arrived… after that everything went black.

No, not black. Blank. As if all that happened after had been erased. She tried to remember anything, but it was as if she was staring at a blank page. Had something else happened since then?

She opened her eyes again, slower this time, to allow them to adapt to the light in the room. It was as sterile as only a medical facility could be, with polished tables and bare walls. There was absolutely nothing in the room but the Bacta tank, two tables, and a control terminal.

Why was she here? Surely the Empire wouldn't care enough to have her nursed back to health, not after she had obviously joined the Rebels. So who else? For a moment she entertained the faint hope that she might have gotten rescued during her little beauty sleep. She was aware that there are traitors even among the Imperial Officers, so maybe one of them had her smuggled out…

Before he mind could conjure up any more hopeful scenarios, the only door of the room open with a hiss and a man dressed in a white medical uniform entered. An imperial uniform. She could only watch with growing dread, as the man begun working at the console. He didn't look at her, he didn't speak. He only pushed buttons on the console, while reading the data provided by the machine.

This wasn't good. For some reason, the Imperials had decided that she was worth more while being alive. Was this the plot of an overeager Admiral who tries to gain leverage on her father? The fool would soon learn that being the heir of Jacques Schnee doesn't mean a thing to the man. Not when he still had a spare. Her father would sooner see her killed than to give in to any demands.

But somehow she couldn't imagine that this was the true reason for her survival. Draconis had been the one to capture her, and the damn woman had likely handed her over to Darth Vader. Neither of the two Sith would need her to control the Schnee Dust Company. So why was she still alive? Why was she inside a Bacta tank and not in some cold cell, slowly bleeding to death?

Finally, the man turned towards her, his dark eyes widening as he saw that she was awake and watching him.

Why was he surprised to see her awake? Had her wounds been so severe?

The man stepped closer to the tank and watched her intently. He even walked around, so he could see her from every possible angle before he returned to the console. Not even once did he address her. Maybe he was forbidden from talking to her?

"My lady, the girl has woken up," he said. Weiss was surprised at first before she realized that the console must have some sort of communicator installed. The man got an answer, but Weiss couldn't understand it. "No, my lady, it would appear that her wounds have healed. There are no more signs of damage visible."

No signs of damage visible, Weiss repeated in her head. So her wounds must have been rather severe. Her headache seemed to be the last remaining after-effect of those injuries.

"As you say, my lady. I will have her removed from the tank immediately," the man continued.

My lady… there was only one person in the Empire that an imperial officer would address like this. Draconis. So she was also on this… ship? Station? Planet? Where was she?

The man didn't say anything else and it appeared that his conversation with Draconis had come to an end. Instead, he continued his work on the console.

Moments later two Droids entered the room. Weiss recognized the models immediately. Medical droids of the newest generation. Her family had bought several of them after her mother's drinking habit had become a hazard to her health. Quick, efficient, and absolutely trustworthy. The droids hadn't been cheap, but they were the reason why her mother's dark secret had never left the halls of the Schnee mansion.

And now two medical droids were here to assist her. One of them placed some towels on the table before both of them approached the Bacta tank. They opened the hatch at the top of the tank, so she could get out and assisted her as she climbed down onto the cold floor of the room.

Only now she realized that she was almost naked. Only a thin white sports bra and equally white shorts covered preserved the barest hint of her modesty. She would have expected the imperial officer in the room to openly leer at her, as so many of his colleagues had done when she had worn vastly more clothes. But he didn't. He barely even spared her a glance, as the droids began to dry her hair and body.

"Probably has seen enough already while I was out," she mumbled to herself.

Her hair was still wet and clung to her back when the door opened again. A sudden coldness made Weiss shiver, though she was sure that it wasn't because of the open door. No, it was the person who had entered. She would recognize that helmet anywhere. Draconis had come to her. And if even half of the rumors are true, Weiss' headache would be the least of her troubles.

"Out," Draconis commanded, "All of you." Her voice sounded mechanical through the mask, but again Weiss couldn't help herself but wonder where she had heard it before. She knew the Sith Lady had been a student at Beacon, but which one? Who had betrayed them?

The officer saluted wordlessly before he quickly fled the room. The droids followed at a much more sedated pace. But only when they were gone and the door of the room was shut once more, Draconis moved.

She walked over to the console and pressed a few buttons.

"So, now we have all the privacy we need," Draconis said, "No more unwanted interruptions."

Weiss could only stare at the woman. For the first time ever, Weiss saw Draconis without her usual armor. Beneath the bulky protection, she hid some impressive curves. She could only wonder why the Sith Lady decided to wear such a bulky armor, it must surely slow her down quite a bit and didn't look entirely comfortable. Especially for someone of her stature.

"See something you like," Draconis said suggestively. Weiss was sure, had it not been for the mask, she could see a wide smirk on the woman's face. "Anyhoo, how are you feeling, Ice Queen?"

Weiss frowned at the nickname. Only her friends had called her that and the way Draconis said it, it sounded almost… affectionate?

"My head is throbbing and I'm feeling dreadfully cold. Some clothes and an extensive explanation would be most welcome," Weiss said. She tried to sound as snobbish and arrogant as the other social climbers on Coruscant, to be every inch the aloof heiress of the Schnee Dust Company that she was supposed to be. If she was to die here, she wouldn't give Draconis the satisfaction of seeing her submit in any way.

Draconis chuckled mirthlessly, "That is to be expected. After Vader had been done with your… interrogation, we weren't sure you would make it. You've been out cold for two days."

"Two days..." Weiss breathed. And Vader was responsible? But what interrogation, she couldn't remember a thing… "What happened to the others? The princess, most of all."

"That rebel scum is down in her cell," Draconis growled, "Lord Bucket was on his way to interrogate her as well, but I don't know if he is done yet."

"And the others?"

"There are no others," Draconis replied coldly.

The sheer hatred in Draconis voice was only amplified by the metallic edge the helmet added to her every word. It made Weiss wonder, why Draconis was here, talking to her almost amicably when she so clearly loathes the very existence of the rebels. She even sounded… worried about her well being only moments ago.

"What happens now?" Weiss asked. "To the princess, and to me?"

"They have already issued a death warrant for the princess," Draconis told her simply, "She won't see the end of the week. In fact, she's only alive because Vader and Tarkin want something from her."

"And..."

"You are not to be harmed. I've seen to that. All that was needed was a small blood sample and a message to the Emperor. I will take you back to Coruscant, once Tarkin has finished his big show. The bastard has planned something big and terrible with his technological nightmare. I will never understand why the Emperor has such faith in the man," Draconis muttered, as she shook her head. "But you will be quite safe."

"So you will return me to my family?"

Most unexpected. Weiss could only wonder what role her blood had played in all of this or why Draconis was so intent on protecting their ship had been boarded, she had been sure that she would die. She had been ready to die. At least she had tried to tell herself that. And now she was about to get away with a slap on the wrist? After what she had done? There was truly no justice in the Empire.

"You will not be returned to your family, no," Draconis began, "You have been officially chosen to assist the Emperor, as his new student. Congratulations."

Student? This made absolutely no sense at all. What was going on here?

"Any more questions before I call for someone who will attend to your needs?" Draconis asked.

Yes. Thousands of questions. There was so much she didn't know, so many questions that remain unanswered. But one was pushed forward, demanding an answer. Now, not later.

"Who are you? Who is hiding behind that mask?"

Draconis, who had already been on the way back to the console, stopped mid-stride and turned around again. Weiss could hear a long sigh before the woman placed a hand on her Grimm like helmet and pulled it off.

Long golden hair tumbled down Draconis back, as she revealed her pale face. Two very familiar eyes now stared at Weiss, who was struck speechless. Those eyes… now blood red, but usually they were a different color…

"What? No witty comment, Ice Queen? Jeez, you look as if you've seen a ghost," Draconis drawled. This time her smirk was visible. Such a familiar sight.

Weiss breathing nearly stopped, completely in shock, before she stumbled back and fell. She landed hard on the ground, not that she would have realized it. Instead, she could only breath, almost inaudibly, "Yang… how?"

* * *

 **A/N: That's all for now.**

 **So, the big reveal so early in the story. Draconis true identity wasn't meant to be the big secret, at least not like Vader being Luke's old man. It will take some time before the rest of Yang's former friends find out about her new job, but ultimately they have to know that it is her. An unknown traitor is nice ans shiny, but a friend and family member on the other side of the fence... Ruby will have a hard time coming to terms with that.  
**

 **And why is Yang with the Sith? The reasons why she has switched sides and joined the Empire will be revealed later in the story, so no spoilers here except that Ruby plays a big role in that. But I've chosen Yang to be the Sith of the group because she fits the bill. Of all the characters in RWBY, Yang is one of the most passionate and emotionally volatile. She can find a place for herself in the Sith teachings, unlike Ruby or Jaune. But being a Sith doesn't mean that you have to be a genocidal maniac, so don't expect Yang to go around wiping out whole species any time soon. Being Sith is a philosophy, not the mandate to be the biggest douche you can be.  
**

 **Alright, that's all for today.**


	3. Shattered Serenity

**Hello there.**

 **There are only a few things to say today, so I'll keep this brief.**

 **Though this story starts with A New Hope, the events that follow will deviate greatly. The presence of more Sith and new allies for the Rebels will change the game greatly. But that doesn't mean that Ruby and co will take the roles of Han, Leia and Luke. They will have their own stories to tell in the fight against the Empire.  
**

 **And once again, being Sith is about the survival of the fittest. Most of the Sith get corrupted in the process, but even the Sith code does not translate in be the biggest douche you can be. And just the same way, not all Jedi are good. There was a reason why the Emperor had such an easy time turning the galaxy against them and I'm not just talking about the child stealing.**

 **Anyhoo, let's continue with the story.**

* * *

Ruby watched with baited breath, as Luke continued his first Lightsaber lesson. To others it may have looked silly, how the farm boy tried to protect himself from the painful, but not dangerous, blaster shots from a remote drone their old Jedi teacher had brought along.

She listened to the instructions of the old Jedi, as Kenobi pointed out the mistakes and gave advice. The Force and all that surrounds it was just so amazing to her. Not so long ago she hadn't believed in any of this.

Her own powers had been something she had been born with. Aura, her Semblance, all of it was just there and she hadn't pondered much where those abilities had come from. Never would she have believed that there was so much more to it.

"This is impossible, it's too fast," Luke complained, after getting hit once again by a blaster shot.

Ruby chuckled lightly, amused by the look on Luke's face. She knew he wanted to complain more, but kept most of it to himself. She wondered why?

"Why don't you try it, then?" Luke groaned as he saw her amusement.

"Sorry, but I don't have a Lightsaber… yet. All I have is my baby here," Ruby said, as she took Crescent Rose and unfolded it into its full form.

Luke took a few steps back, as the young woman suddenly had a giant scythe in her hands. So far he had only seen the rifle form of her weapon, so this was certainly more than surprising for him. Most people react in a similar way. The multi-purpose weapons, the norm on Remnant, are still extremely rare and uncommon in the vast galaxy.

"I thought that was a gun!", Luke told her, as he eyed the weapon.

"It's both. This is my baby, Crescent Rose. It's a high-caliber sniper-scythe," Ruby sang, proud of her weapon, as she hugged its frame.

"I never… who would ever think to build such a thing?" Luke wondered. Obi-Wan watched in amusement, obviously asking himself the same question.

"I build it myself, back at Signal. Ah, Signal is a combat school, it prepares us for the Huntsmen Academies and all that follows... All those who attend combat school on my homeworld build their own weapons."

"That's not normal," Luke mumbled.

"You tell me about it," Captain Solo appeared on the scene, an alarmed look on his face as he saw Ruby's weapon, "And didn't I tell you not to use that… Rancor back-scratcher inside my ship?"

"Maybe..."

"Listen, kiddo, that thing has to go. I won't let you cut my ship to pieces with it," an exasperated sigh escaped the smuggler, as he almost collapsed onto a nearby seat.

Ruby pouted, unhappy about the criticism, no matter how valid it was. Crescent Rose was a bit too big and too dangerous to use in such a small space. She complied and returned her scythe to its more manageable form.

"Do you have any other weapons like this?" Luke asked, truly curious about it.

"Only one," Ruby said, albeit slowly and much more somberly. She hesitated at first but then decided that she wanted to share this with her new traveling companions.

She looked around for her bag before she spotted it in a corner. She rummaged through it, mumbling things the three men in the room couldn't understand. Then she found it. Slowly, almost reverently, she pulled it out of the bag and showed it to the others.

"A… bracelet?" Luke wondered.

Ruby smiled sadly, as she put the golden bracelet on her right arm and activated it. The feeling was still very odd and her mind was screaming at her that it was wrong to do it. But just seeing the right half of Ember Celica pushed the feeling of loss away, if only for some short moments.

"This is Ember Celica. It's a shotgun gauntlet," she explained slowly, as she showed Luke the weapon. Even Captain Solo looked intrigued by this. Only Obi-Wan kept his expression unreadable. The old Jedi could likely read her like a book, not that it was particularly difficult to see the melancholy she felt at that moment.

"Shouldn't there be two of them?" Solo asked. "Never cared to build another or have you lost it somewhere?"

"I didn't build this. This is… all I have left of my older sister. Yang used them in battle, used them in ways I could never hope to replicate," Ruby said quietly.

"What happened?"

"Vader happened. Yang has always been one to rush to the front lines and take the fight to the enemy. She always wanted to protect me, so when the Empire invaded our homeworld, she confronted their leader..."

"And died like so many others before her," Obi-Wan finished. "Vader is not to be taken lightly. Men and women of great skill and experience have fallen to his blade. He is a monster of unspeakable strength and fortitude."

"Yang had always been strong, always been the one to protect me. Now she is gone and all Vader had left of her was her severed arm and a video from a nearby security camera showing how he cut her down and threw her remains off a nearby cliff into the monster-infested forest."

She didn't like this. She didn't like to be like this. This sadness had been crippling for the first few weeks. Yang wouldn't have wanted her to be like this. Still, she had only snapped out of her depression when Weiss had returned to spirit her away to another planet.

Luke, who could understand her grief the best at that moment, put an arm around her shoulder and held her close. They may have only known each other for a short time, but he had also lost his family to the Empire. His loss was even more recent, but somehow he seemed to cope much better than her. Yang had been dead for over two years and she was still moping about it.

"Well, nothing like depressing family tragedies to dampen the mood," Solo muttered, "I better take a look what Chewie is doing in the cockpit." The smuggler took the easy way out, not interested in helping two youngsters cope with their losses. Not that either of them would have wanted him to.

"Loss is always a part of our lives," Obi-Wan began, "It is how we live with it and grow from it, that determines what people we may become one day. Your sister died in the defense of others. Honorably, as a Jedi would have."

"She should be here with us now. I just know she would have been the greatest Jedi ever. She would have defeated the Sith, had she been given the training needed to do it," Ruby said, her voice full of conviction.

"The task falls to you now, my young apprentice," Obi-Wan said. Ruby's mood lightened somewhat, as she heard him. It was the first time he had officially acknowledged her as his apprentice. It was really happening, the old Jedi would train her. "You should get back to your training with the Lightsaber, Luke."

"Why can't Ruby use the Lightsaber for a while?" he asked.

Ruby was curious about trying out the weapon, she knew why Obi-Wan had wanted Luke to be the only one to train with it. "You should continue, Luke. I already know how to fight and I have my baby to use. You only have the Lightsaber and a blaster."

Luke wanted to retort something, but Obi-Wan spoke first, "Ruby is right. Continue your training, Luke." Then the old Jedi turned to her, "And you should continue the meditation exercise I've shown you. The sooner you get your powers under control, the better."

Ruby groaned lightly. She wasn't very good at meditation. Scratch that, it had to be the one thing she was worst at in the whole galaxy. The last time she had tried, things had started floating around her. Poor R2D2 had suffered the most from it. Luke's quirky little droid had nearly crashed into a wall and the ground after that. But she would do it. If this is what it takes to become a Jedi, then she would endure it. But first, she would return Ember Celica to her bag.

"I will become a Jedi, Yang. I swear I will. And then I will protect everyone like you would have done in my place," she vowed, as the golden bracelet disappeared in the darkness of her bag once more.

* * *

Weiss still looked in shock at the woman before her. Draconis, Darth Vader's chief enforcer, was Yang Xiao Long.

Yang, who had died to defend Beacon Academy.

Yang, whose body had been torn to shreds by Grimm in the Emerald Forest.

Yang, who would have never willingly joined a group of people who would mean her sister harm.

Yet here she was, in the flesh. Yang Xiao Long, the Sith apprentice known and feared as Draconis…

"Is there something on my face?" Yang asked her, as she slowly got closer.

Weiss was still on the ground after she had stumbled and fallen in shock of this revelation. Yang knelt before her, a genuine look of confusion on her pale face. Why was she so pale? Even her usually golden hair seemed lighter in color and her eyes had turned red on a permanent basis. She had changed, but this was still Yang. At least on the outside.

"How is this possible? We saw the security cam footage. We saw you die!" Weiss exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, that," Yang laughed awkwardly. She shoved down the long black glove, which had covered her right arm from the fingertips all the way up to her shoulder. Underneath she revealed the cold mechanical shine of a robotic arm. "Lord Bucket decided that he had to be a complete asshole and cut off my arm before shoving me off a cliff. This was so not what we had agreed on, but that's just who he is. A complete jerk with anger issues."

The offhanded comment left Weiss speechless. Yang talked so casually about one of the evilest men in the galaxy, even insulting him as if she had nothing to fear. How could this be?

"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe that idiot doctor missed something?" Yang wondered. "I did keep bucket-head from crushing your skull during your interrogation, even if it had cost me. So there should be no concussion."

"What do you mean it cost you?"

Yang pushed up the hem of her shirt, revealing her belly. At the side, Weiss could make out the distinctive marks of a barely healed slash wound. An angry red gash, that looked rather painful.

"He did that? But… you are his student..."

"Lesson one about Sith, we are no Jedi. We don't partake in impromptu cuddle groups and we definitely don't do hugs. Ever. He hates my guts and I hate his. If it wasn't for the Emperor forcing him to play nice, I wouldn't have made it off Remnant."

Weiss didn't know whether it was reassuring to hear that the greatest enemies of a free galaxy are fighting amongst each other or whether she should be mortified by the implication that these inherently violent people still manage to control their Empire so effortlessly.

"You should probably have your doctor look at that, though," Weiss sighed. She wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure what to think. All she could do was fall back into old habits and reprimand her former teammate for foolishness.

"Aww, so the Ice Queen does care," Yang smiled widely. "But don't worry about it. I will keep it. Pain is good. It's a very good teacher. The pain reminds me that one day I will end Vader and pay him back for all the suffering he has put me through."

That was certainly disconcerting. Yang had been… temperamental at school. She had lost her temper quite often, but the utter hatred she had radiated when talking about Vader, that was something new. And this obsession with pain...

"Come on, let's get you off the ground and into some clothes. Can't have you distract the poor crewmen by running around half-naked," Yang said, as she offered Weiss her hand. "These guys are too easily distracted."

The Schnee heiress looked at the hand with obvious unease. It was the robotic arm, which looked like a skeletal hand that would soon grab her throat and throttle her. She squashed that feeling and told herself that this was still Yang. Not the Yang she had once known, but still a Yang. So she took the hand and allowed the Sith apprentice to pull her up to her feet. A feeling of great discomfort rushed through her as her skin touched the fabric of the artificial hand.

The moment she was back on her feet, she pulled her hand back, as if it had been burned. Something was very wrong about that feeling. She couldn't find the words to describe it, but she was sure that she would avoid touching Yang again until she found out what this had been about.

"Now, let's get you settled in. We still have to wait until Tarkin is done with whatever nonsense he is planning to do with his new toy. Then we will depart for Coruscant," Yang told her. The Sith had obviously not seen Weiss reaction or she it was so common that she had decided to ignore it.

The door of the room suddenly opened with a hiss and a young woman in an officers uniform entered, a small stack of clothes on her arms. Her entrance was accompanied by a strange clicking sound on the floor, which seemed to follow her every step. She was another odd one, at least by the looks. The uniform was fairly standard, except for two distinct differences. In her long black hair, she wore a hairpin of sorts, adorned with a white flower and instead of the usual boots she wore heels. On a closer look, Weiss realized that these heels were the reason for the sound. Bladed heels. A rather odd choice for a weapon, one quite uncommon for an imperial officer… unless… another Remnantian?

"Why are you not wearing your helmet?" the woman asked before she sighed in obvious exasperation. "One of these days the Emperor is going to strangle me for not keeping you in check."

"You worry too much, Melanie," Yang assured her, "And this is hardly the first time I did this. Can't exactly work with my old friends without letting them know that I'm not the bloodthirsty psycho those terrorists claim me to be."

"That doesn't make it better… Forget it, it's not like you would listen," Melanie said, as her pale green eyes fixed Yang with a glare.

"Oh, you know me so well," Yang sang. "Ah, that reminds me. Weiss, this is Lieutenant Melanie Malachite, my sort of right-hand woman."

"Charmed?" Weiss wasn't sure what she was supposed to say at that moment. There was obviously some history between those two, but knowing Yang, it was likely a crazy story with a lot of violence and explosions.

"Just wait until you meet her sister. Miltia, who is my left-hand woman, sort of."

"Not sort of," Melanie groused, "We serve as aides and chaperones for the Lady Draconis, at the Emperor's orders."

"You make it sound so boring. And we have been friends for far longer than we know the Emperor," Yang chided the lieutenant.

"Fighting does not constitute as friendship," Melanie replied, as another exasperated sigh escaped her.

"Doesn't rule it out either," Yang shot back with a smirk.

"Do I want to know the backstory to that?" Weiss wondered.

Seriously, she was beginning to wonder whether she had actually died on Leia's ship and this was her personal hell. Being stuck with a crazy Yang and her equally crazy lady friends… eternal damnation for sure. Just what had she done to deserve this?

"Oh, it is awesome," Yang assured her quickly, a giddy look on her face. "We first met on Remnant, some years ago. I came to the club she was working in and helped them renovate."

"You trashed the whole establishment and beat us all until we could barely walk in a straight line."

"Yeah, it was awesome."

Melanie looked more than peeved at that point but refrained from doing anything against Yang. There was a restraint in her body language that revealed more to the trained eye than either would likely be willing to admit. From the sound of it, Melanie wasn't a stranger to fighting, especially when she hailed from Remnant herself. But the way she didn't antagonize Yang beyond a certain point made it clear that Yang was leagues ahead in power now and only a fool would pick a fight.

"We should get finished here, my lady," Melanie said, a tone of finality clinging to the way she said those last two words. And the implied respect of the address seemed to calm Yang down.

"Right. Let's get Weiss settled in."

Melanie shook her head before she approached Weiss and handed her the clothes.

"No need. Grand Moff Tarkin has sent orders for you and your guest to come to the command center. His presentation is about to start. Miltia has already left for the Resolute to prepare your ship for departure as soon as we are done here."

"Great. A room filled with my second-least-favorite person and my least-favorite person in it," Yang groaned, "Is there a way to vent the air and let them float into the black nothingness of space?"

"For the last time, I'm not going to help you murder a Grand Moff," Melanie exclaimed. "Not to mention that I doubt the lack of air would even kill Lord Vader. Now stop complaining, please. Don't make this harder for me than it has to be. I actually like my life and would like to avoid getting murdered by Lord Vader."

That was the last straw for Weiss. There was no other explanation. This was hell. The hell with a clearly insane Yang in it.

"Fine, get dressed Weiss, Lord Bucket gets grumpy when I'm tardy," Yang groaned, as she picked up her own helmet and tried to put it on. Her hair continued to escape the helmet until Melanie got closer and helped her.

"This would be so much easier if you would just allow us to cut it," the woman sighed, as Yang's helmet was finally back in place.

"Cut it and you will die," Yang growled. The mechanical quality the mask added to her voice only managed to make the threat sound even more menacing than it already was.

"Very well," the officer conceded. "We should get a move on, though." Melanie put some distance between herself and Yang. She moved towards Weiss and began to help her get dressed. Not that Weiss would have needed it, but after that little moment of scary monster Yang, she allowed Melanie this excuse to get away from her superior. Still, getting help while dressing reminded her eerily of her time at her family's new estate on Coruscant. Not to mention that dress looked like something her father would have ordered her to wear. Imperial high fashion, all the rage among the dim-witted socialites on the capital planet of the Empire.

"Alright, now that the Ice Queen is dressed, we can leave. The sooner this is over, the better. I just want to leave this damn station as soon as possible," Yang growled. "Come, I know the way."

"Are you sure?" Melanie dared to asked.

"Yes, dammit. I got lost once. Once and you never let me hear the end of it."

The tension from before seemed forgotten now, as Melanie chuckled. Somehow Weiss was sure that this would be a story worth hearing if only to have something funny that can be associated with this… whatever Yang had become now.

Yang was the first out of the room, closely followed by Weiss and Melanie, who walked beside each other.

Several far too long corridors, filled with countless Storm Troopers and imperial personal, and a turbo lift ride later Weiss was simply confused. She hadn't seen a single bulkhead or window. Nothing that would help her determine where on this ship they were and where they were going. Not to mention that this place seemed entirely too big for a ship. Was it a station? But which one?

Her last conscious memory was from the fight above Tatooine. There were no imperial stations of such size and significance in the Outer Rim or at least none that the Rebels knew about. But from what Yang had told her, she had been out cold for two days and with a chunk of her memories missing, it was hard to tell how much time had really passed since that battle. She could be back in the Core Systems for all she knew.

Then suddenly the feeling of dread returned. Far stronger than what she had felt when Yang had entered the medical room. Weiss shivered openly and looked around for the source of the feeling.

"You get used to it eventually," Melanie assured her. The officer had seen her reaction and obviously knew what this was about.

"What is this… feeling?"

"Vader," the woman replied simply. "For some reason, most who hail from Remnant can feel his presence. In the beginning, it was nauseating. Now it's merely a chill."

Moments later they entered a large room, with a several command stations and a large monitor on that filled the entire opposite side of the room. Several officers were in the room, together with the usual crew of a command station. But none of them mattered. Only one of them was important. The man who stood at the center of the room, exuding utter confidence as he watched something on the monitor.

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. One of the most powerful and the most dangerous men in the entire galaxy. Whole species had died at his command and the atrocities this man was responsible for had earned him a spot on the list of people the rebels want dead. Not captured and put on trial. Dead. The Emperor and Vader were on that list, too. As well as Draconis… Yang…

She would have to change this. As soon as she was able to get into contact with the rebels. They had to know who Draconis really is. There had to be some sort of explanation for why Yang had joined the Empire… Surely it hadn't been done willingly? Or...

"Grand Moff Tarkin," Yang greeted the man far too jovial. Had she not considered murdering the man only minutes earlier, Weiss would have almost believed that this man was a favored uncle, just by the sweet tone of her former friend's voice and the bright smile on her face.

"Lady Draconis," Tarkin replied, disdain coloring his voice, as he spared her barely a sideward glance. "As soon as Lord Vader arrives with our other esteemed guest, we will begin."

Then the man spotted her and Weiss knew she certainly wouldn't like the man's plans. He seemed entirely too smug as he looked at her.

"Ah, and the honored Lady Schnee. How fortunate that you recovered just in time for this presentation. After all, the completion of this station was sped up immensely by the Dust and workforce provided by your father's Company. As a representative of the Schnee Dust Company, you can offer him a personal report of our great success."

So her father was involved as well. Why wasn't she surprised? She half expected him to enter the room next. Then again, he loved the power he had on Coruscant too much to leave the planet. He hadn't even set foot Remnant in years.

"So what are we shooting at today?" Yang asked innocently, "Stumbled over some shady asteroid or stubbed your toe on an innocent little moon nearby?"

Whatever Yang had expected, the Grand Moff wasn't reacting to her mockery. He instead ignored her and began issuing orders. If only she could see Yang's face, then she would have been able to see how what the Sith apprentice was thinking about this. Yang had always worn her heart on her sleeve, but with the grotesque Grimm mask on her face, Weiss couldn't see anything. But Melanie looked decidedly uncomfortable.

But maybe that look was caused by something else. The feeling of dread was getting worse. Vader was getting closer.

Vader entered moments later, though the same door they had entered before. Accompanied by two guards and his prisoner.

"Princess Leia," Weiss exclaimed. She was overjoyed to see that the princess had survived as well. Even in captivity, seeing her alive was better than the alternative. But as she wanted to approach the princess, Melanie grabbed her shoulder and held her back. A shake of the woman's head was enough to convey the message. Stay away from Vader's prisoner.

"Weiss, I'm glad you survived. I feared I was the only one left," Leia exclaimed before Vader pushed her forward and towards Tarkin.

To Weiss surprise, when Vader passed them, the Sith Lord and his apprentice did their best ignore each other's presence.

The Grand Moff had watched the scene with an unreadable expression. "A truly touching reunion."

"Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board," Leia exclaimed, showing her utmost contempt for the man.

Weiss heard Yang chuckle nearby. "I see why you like her," the apprentice said, "The princess has fire."

Yes, even Weiss was surprised how defiant Leia was in this situation. The Grand Moff had admitted that he had just ordered her death, yet all the reaction he got from the princess was even more disrespect. No matter how much he tried to pretend differently, his patience was wearing thin.

But as Weiss listened to Tarkin's little speech, she realized that something was amiss. Or rather, there was something she didn't understand. If this was a station, an armed station, what exactly was its purpose? Judging by the short stroll they had taken to get to the command center, the station had to be huge. Especially with all the crew members, they had seen.

And then her eyes returned to the monitor, just as Tarkin announced.

"I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan."

Alderaan. The planet they could see on the monitor, the one Tarkin had studied so intensely as they had entered, it was Alderaan. The place that had become another home to her. The place where she had lived for close to two years now and where many of her new friends reside now.

"We are going to bombard Alderaan?" she asked Yang, her voice furious.

"Not just bombard it, I fear," Yang replied, her voice now lacking nearly every shred of emotion and warmth.

Without warning, Yang strode forward, until she stood next to Vader.

"This is going too far, Grand Moff!" she exclaimed, clearly agitated. "Jedha and Scarif are one thing, but Alderaan is a Core world. The Emperor would never allow this!"

"His Majesty has expressed his absolute trust in my decisions and given me free reign to make this demonstration as effective as possible," Tarkin replied.

"You can't be serious. You damn..."

Yang suddenly fell silent, much to Weiss surprise. She wondered why. The old Yang would have ranted and the fact that she had protested this weapon's test made it clear to Weiss that the Yang Xiao Long she had once known was not gone entirely, merely hidden behind the dreadful mask of Draconis. But all of a sudden she was silent. This wasn't right…

Then she saw Melanie look at something with a dark glare. Weiss followed the woman's eyes and saw that she was glaring at Vader's right hand, which was making a very strange gesture. She wasn't sure what this was about, but it was clear that whatever Vader was doing, it was the reason for Yang's sudden silence.

"You may fire when ready," Tarkin's voice cut through the sudden silence.

Then the unthinkable happened. The station fired on Alderaan. A sickly green beam extended towards the planet and reduced it to an asteroid field within the blink of an eye. The sheer terror of this was too much to find words to describe it. A whole planet, gone. Wiped out by a weapon of such immense power. A weapon her father had helped to create…

Her friends… her eyes widened as she realized how many of her friends had been on that planet. Had Ruby still been there or had she left before? And what about Pyrrha and the rest of Team JNPR? Professor Goodwitch? All those Huntsmen and Huntresses she had helped to recruit for the Rebels… All gone? All dead? She wanted to cry, but not even that seemed possible. Her entire body felt numb.

Then her eyes found Leia. She could barely begin to imagine what the princess was feeling at that moment. Leia had collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Her entire family had been on that planet. Everyone she had ever known. Alderaan had been her home, her sanctuary. She wanted to go and comfort her, but again it was Melanie who held her back.

"Don't even think about it. Your situation is still precarious enough. But unlike her, you are still an honored guest thanks to Lady Draconis. But the princess won't live long enough to mourn her planet for long."

"This is barbaric..." Weiss muttered as anger become the first emotion she could express again.

"That is Tarkin's Empire. That is Vader's Empire. It isn't ours," Melanie replied simply.

"You won't get away with this," Yang exclaimed. Her voice was filled with rage and Weiss half expected her to attack Tarkin. To punch him so hard that he would break every bone in his body. But she didn't. Vader stood between her and the Grand Moff. And Yang had admitted herself, she was no match for Vader at the moment.

So Yang did the only other thing she could do at this moment. She turned away from these monsters and stormed out of the room. Melanie followed, pulling Weiss along.

Before they were out of the room, though, Weiss heard Tarkin speak again, "Lord Vader, see to it that your pet is properly leashed the next time. I can hardly understand why the Emperor sees her as an asset to us."

Weiss nearly stumbled and fell, as Melanie kept on pulling her along. Yang was fast. Scarily so and she left a trail of frightened men and women in her wake, as all who saw Draconis storm down their corridor had one simple choice. Get out of the way of the monster… or die. They all chose the former.

Yang's rage-fueled run ended in a large cargo hold. Giant crates were stacked neatly, some of them even baring the familiar logo of the Schnee Dust Company. And then it began. Utmost devastation, unleashed upon the room by a raging monster. Melanie barely managed to get them both out of the room, before they might have gotten caught up in the madness. But even as the door was closed, they could still fear the tremors and hear Yang's rage-filled cries.

"What is going on with her?"

"This is only the third time I have ever witnessed her losing control so badly. See it as a storm, unleashed upon anything she can get her hands on. She will calm down sooner or later. Just… stay out of her way when she is like this," the officer replied hesitantly. She looked just as disconcerted as Weiss felt at that moment.

This was Yang now? This rage-filled monster? Just what had these people done to her friend? Just what has Yang done to herself? Had the entire galaxy gone mad?

Weiss took a few steps back until her back hit the cold metal wall of the corridor. This was all too much. Far too much to cope with. She could only wish that she hadn't woken up to this. Maybe it would have been better to die on Leia's ship…

* * *

Ruby was deep in her meditation, as she explored her connection to the Force. Until moments before Obi-Wan had been with her, guiding her attempts to reach out with the Force and feel the world around her. It was… breathtaking. To think that she has had these powers for years and never learned to use them properly. If the teachers at Signal and Beacon had known about this, they could have taught their students so much better. All the Huntsmen and Huntresses would have been far stronger and the Grimm would have been defeated in a matter of years…

Or was she the exception? This Force ghost thingy had only come to her, but to none of the others. She was sure that there had to be others. Yang would have been Force-sensitive as well. Weiss, too. And Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha. All of them. Or not? How does one find out about this in the first place? Obi-Wan hadn't explained how the Jedi had found their students in the past. There had been some nasty rumors floating around when she had researched the Jedi on Alderaan. Child stealers some had called them. She could only wonder why. Maybe she would ask Obi-Wan about it.

But first, she wanted to explore this feeling some more. She tried to stretch her senses into every corner of the ship. It was still a slow process and she had barely reached the bulkhead of the cargo hold she was in at that moment. But she was improving. Slowly.

Yet suddenly she felt as if something had stabbed her. No, more as if someone had ripped a hole in her chest and then refilled it. She felt nauseous and disoriented. Her concentration was gone and with it all the progress she had made for the moment.

"What… was that?"

She would ask Obi-Wan. Surely he would know. And maybe he had felt it as well.

She found the old Jedi sitting in the common room of the ship, together with all the other occupants of the Millenium Falcon.

Obi-Wan looked almost as disoriented as she had felt before, and she heard Luke worry about his well-being.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force," the old man exclaimed. Then he looked towards Ruby, his face showing great worry as he looked at her, "And by the looks, Ruby has felt it as well."

She nodded quietly, as she approached the man.

"Something terrible has happened," the Jedi continued. "Something truly terrible. To create such an echo in the Force…" he trailed off, his gaze now focused solely on Ruby. "You should return to your training, Luke. I fear I must add another immediate lesson to Ruby's instruction."

"Is everything alright? Is either of you hurt?"

"Luke, you have barely begun to explore your connection to the Force, but Ruby has lived with it all her life, even though she never knew what it was. This echo in the Force, it will linger and unless she is taught how to free herself of its effects, it will remain and influence her negatively."

Ruby didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like it at all. It sounded like a disease and she hates being sick.

"Come, Ruby. Let us return to the cargo hold, we will need a calm and quiet place for this," Obi-Wan said, as he leads her out of the room again.

Ruby had seen the worry on Luke's face before he returned to his training. He seemed even more determined to improve now, knowing that there was still so much that was hidden from him.

But then her mind returned to her own problem. This feeling, this dread, this dull ache she had felt. The Jedi had made it sound dangerous and it disconcerted her.

"Sit, Ruby. Just as you did for your meditation," Obi-Wan instructed. "Good. Now I want to you reach out with the Force once more. Only this time you focus on yourself, and not the world around you. What do you feel?"

"It feels… warm..Comfortable. It feels safe," she smiled. She hadn't felt like this since… since the last time, she had tasted her mother's cookies. No, since the last time Yang had read her a story. It had been a winter night and their dad had been out on a mission. They had cuddled under a blanket on the sofa at home and Yang had told her a story. She couldn't remember which one, but it made her feel safe. Yang had made her feel safe.

Then she felt the disturbance, "But there is something. Something that wasn't there before. Like… a hole."

"Not a hole," Obi-Wan corrected her. "Your presence in the Force had been calm and serene when you first appeared to me. Like a lake, unmoved by the wind, perfectly still. But now something has caused a ripple on the surface of that lake, a terrible event that has echoed through the Force and affected all those who are able to feel it. Remember what I told you about the Force."

"It connects us, binds everything together," Ruby recalled.

"Yes. And through this connection, you have been affected. At the moment it is only a small ripple on the surface, but left unattended, others will join it until your serenity will be no more and your presence in the Force will become a raging sea."

"So what can I do about it?"

"Calm yourself. Calm your heart. Jedi are usually trained from a young age, to better prepare them for such events. You have formed many attachments and your desire to protect them at all cost, however noble it may be, unbalances you. You have already experienced great loss, and your desire to protect those left to you has grown."

"Is it wrong that I want to protect my friends and family?" How could such a thing be considered wrong? She though the Jedi were there to help people and now she was told that those people are hindering her training? She didn't want to believe that.

"There is nothing wrong in the wish to protect, but your emotions, your deep love for your family and friends, rule your decisions. Emotions are necessary, but you must not allow them to cloud your judgment. There is no Emotion, there is Peace. This terrible echo we felt in the Force affects you now, because of what it was. A great calamity has happened and your first thought was worry for those dearest to you. This worry guides your hand, even without you knowing it. Your next decisions will be influenced by this and in return every decision that follows. One little disturbance will cause many others."

It made sense, at least she thought it did. The old Jedi's explanation at least made more sense than anything she had ever heard from Professor Port. But still, this whole mastering her own feelings left her confused. Why are uncontrolled emotions so bad?

"I need you to clear your mind and find serenity once again. Only this way you can carry on without being affected by this disturbance. Acknowledge your emotions, but master them. Do not let them master you instead. Only the Sith surrender themselves to their emotions. Through your meditation exercises, you will learn to master your emotions in time. And in turn, you will be able to see with clarity and make the best decisions you can. Ponder this, while I return to Luke and his studies."

Then he left her alone in the room, to think about this lesson.

"Yes, master," she mumbled, long after he had left. She wasn't sure whether she had really understood what he had wanted to say, but one thing was clear. No hasty decisions… or no emotions? Now she was confused. Maybe meditating would bring this clarity that Master Kenobi had talked about.

She tried to calm herself, took some deep breaths and closed her eyes. She wanted to bring back that feeling from earlier. It had felt so nice, this warmth. It reminds her of better times. Happiness and safety. Surely that can't be considered a bad emotion?

But then the ship suddenly shook violently and every thought of peace and serenity was as far from her mind as possible. Something had happened… again. Can't they ever catch a break? All she wants is to get back to Alderaan and take a long nap under her favorite tree in the palace gardens will reveling in that feeling. The Force, however, seemed to have something else in store for her.

* * *

 **A/N: And cut...**

 **So, Alderaan is gone. Even with the new people added to the story, this was pretty much inevitable. It is a pivotal moment in the old Trilogy, just like the subsequent destruction of the first Deathstar.**

 **Becoming a Jedi will not be an easy walk in the park for Ruby. She isn't exactly the kind of person the old Order would have welcomed with open arms. Too old, too many attachments. But Luke wasn't exactly the kind of** student **Mace Windu would have liked either. Together they will be very** difficult **students for old Obi-Wan.**

 **And Yang... well she had never been the most stable person. Temper tantrums are the norm and with Sith training and the alluring pull of the dark side, she is a bit more... volatile. But she is not fully corrupted yet. Poor Weiss now has to deal with this Yang and her imperial goons.**

 **And yes, Yang has goons. She will tell the story of how she found the Malachite twins in a future chapter. Expects cantinas, Hutts,** and **some explosions. And they are not the only people from Remnant Yang has recruited. Just the only ones who could be considered as former villains.**

 **And yes, the is a reason why the ship the Emperor gave Yang has the same name that Anakin's ship had during the Clone Wars.**

 **So, next time we see the events on the Deathstar and Yang's first time facing a Jedi. And of course Ruby's fight against the greatest evil in the galaxy...**


	4. Burden of a Choice

**Hi there. As an early Christmas present this year, I give you all a slightly longer chapter than usual.**

 **At this** point **, I want to thank all those who have taken the time to Review or write me PMs to discuss the story. The constructive** criticism **and interest in this story are greatly appreciated and help me make this story better and more enjoyable to read.**

 **Alright, enough of this, let's continue with the story...**

* * *

"What do mean it isn't here?"

"Listen, kid, the position is correct," Captain Solo replied gruffly. "But there is no Alderaan."

"Planets don't just disappear," Luke countered. "So how is it gone?"

"Destroyed, by the Empire," Obi-Wan surmised.

Ruby was shocked as she heard this. A whole planet, destroyed? Impossible. No one had such power. "Surely the Empire doesn't have any weapon that can do such a thing?" she asked the old Jedi.

Obi-Wan looked at her as if he was evaluating her words one by one. It was slightly disconcerting and the silent scrutiny only ended when Captain Solo broke the silence.

"No one has that much firepower. The whole Imperial Fleet couldn't destroy a whole planet. The firepower needed to do that..."

An alarm went off, drawing Solo's attention away from what he was about to say, "There's another ship approaching from behind."

"Maybe they will know what happened here," Luke said.

But moments later they knew better. It was an imperial fighter. Small and fast, it eluded them even as Captain Solo began to hunt it down to hide their presence in the system.

"I don't remember that moon anywhere near Alderaan," Ruby muttered, as they followed the fighter towards a small planetoid.

"Now we are in trouble," Solo exclaimed, "There is a Star Destroyer lurking in the shadows of that moon. The fighter belongs to that ship."

"That is not a moon," Obi-Wan said slowly. "That is a space station."

"Too big," Solo retorted, "The Empire has nothing of that size or else we would know about it."

"Master Obi-Wan," Ruby began slowly, her eyes fixed on the moon like space station.

"I feel it, too, Ruby. There is something dark on that station. Like a storm of dark energy raging unchecked," Obi-Wan told her.

"Is Vader there?" Luke asked.

"Likely, but this doesn't feel like him. At least not anymore," the old Jedi said before he fell silent. Whatever there was on that station, it worried Obi-Wan, that much was obvious.

"Even without Vader lurking there, we should get out of here. Chewie, full reverse, lock in the auxiliary power," the smuggler said.

But even as the ship shuddered and shook, its course remained the same. Ruby wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but by the worried look on Obi-Wan's face and the frantic attempts of Captain Solo to get them free, she could tell that nothing good would happen once they arrive at that station.

The Star Destroyer, which had been on the far side of the station before was not in plain sight and swarms of TIE fighters began their patrols. Escape was unlikely now.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this," Luke muttered.

Ruby could only agree.

"Clear your mind, Ruby," Obi-Wan advised. "Your uncontrolled connection to the Force will draw this darkness to you as long as you allow it to."

"It is… like a whisper. But I don't understand what it is trying to tell me," Ruby said. "What is it saying?"

"The dark side is trying to lure you in."

"Is she alright," Luke asked.

Though Ruby appreciated the sentiment, she disliked the way he asked Obi-Wan, instead of her when she was literally standing next to them. "I'm fine, Luke. Just be glad that your Force connection has not yet fully awakened. Right now I just wish there was a mute button somewhere."

It only got worse the closer they got to the station. This raging storm of darkness and the incessant whispers. The cacophony of whispers in her ear. But then it was gone. All of a sudden, as if it had disappeared entirely.

"It is… gone?"

"We need to be on our guard. Whatever Vader has unleashed here, it is more dangerous than anything the Jedi have ever faced," the old Jedi said. He looked even older than he had on Tatooine, now that his face was filled with such worry. "We need to get away from here as quickly as possible. The two of you will need all the training you can get. I fear for the future, should we allow the Sith to grow any stronger."

* * *

It had stopped. The sickening sounds of rage and destruction. Weiss still stood outside of the cargo hold, together with Yang's lieutenant. The other woman seemed almost bored at the moment, as they waited for Yang to come out.

"You should try to relax. Lady Draconis means you no harm, so no need to look so frightened. She will only worry when she sees you like this," Melanie told her.

"I just watched the Empire destroy a whole planet, a planet that had been my home for almost two years and you want me to relax? Not to mention that I had to find out that a person I had considered a close friend is actually an enemy? Excuse my worry, but today has been anything but reassuring to me."

"Is she your enemy?" Melanie asked her, as her pale green eyes stared intently as Weiss' blue.

"I… don't know. It's almost like I never really knew her," the Schnee heiress admitted.

She wondered if anyone had ever known the real Yang Xiao Long. Weiss was sure that Ruby knew some part of her, but the younger girl had never even dared to think that Yang might have been the traitor. But the truth, no matter how hard it was to admit, was different. Yang had been the traitor, she had been the one who had sold out Beacon to the Empire. Weiss didn't know her reasons. But no matter what they might have been, the Yang she had gotten to know as part of Team RWBY was most certainly a well-fabricated lie.

The door of the cargo hold opened, revealing the utter destruction inside and a rather disheveled Yang. She had her helmet in her hand and her hair was a wild mess, but it didn't seem to bother her. And despite the chaos behind her, the Sith lady seemed almost… calm and serene now.

"That was cathartic," Yang said, "But not as much as a night in a club."

"I will have Miltia make a reservation in our usual club for our return to Coruscant then," Melanie replied almost automatically. "The usual crowd or a more intimate affair?"

"Make it big. After Tarkin's shitshow I need something loud and big to make me forget all of this for a while."

"Of course," Melanie agreed, "Need help with the helmet?"

"If you would," Yang sighed, "I need to find a replacement for this thing. It was all fun and games at first but it is too much of a hassle. It's not like I'm a disfigured freak like Bucket-head. People should be allowed to see me for who I am."

"And know who you are, who you have been?" Melanie asked in return.

Yang chuckled darkly, "They will find out sooner or later."

"Are you alright?" Weiss asked. She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say. Moments before Yang had been a raging berserker, destroying everything in her way and now she was planning a party with her lieutenant. The galaxy had gone mad for sure.

"All fine and dandy," Yang assured her. "Sorry, you had to see that. But watching that bastard murder countless innocents and not being allowed to punish him for it… that just didn't sit well with me."

"This was the third time," Melanie told Yang, a pointed look following the exclamation. "The Emperor has warned you about losing control..."

"That one time on Nar Shaddaa doesn't count," Yang countered.

"You destroyed a whole casino," Melanie lamented, "Not to mention Harva's entire droid security force and two of his starships."

"That was a good day," Yang laughed. "And you shouldn't be complaining about this. Had I played nice then you and your sister would still be exotic dancers for that slimy Hutt."

"Of course," Melanie relented, "But can we finally leave this place? This station isn't exactly the best place to be in the whole Empire."

"You're right. Let's get to the Resolute and leave this nightmare behind. I need to talk to the Emperor about this and I need some rest as well. As far away from Vader as possible."

Melanie nodded before she began walking. Yang followed and so did Weiss. They hadn't said anything to her, but she was sure that she was expected to follow. But what now? What would become of her? They had treated her like a guest, not a prisoner. But at the same time, according to Yang, Vader had interrogated and nearly killed her.

What had they found out?

Weiss had no doubt that the Empire knew about her allegiances. They knew that she was part of the Rebel Alliance. But for some reason, her treatment was completely different from the way they had treated Leia. All because of Yang? Did she have that much influence?

And the princess… was she still alive? Tarkin had ordered her execution, so… No, she didn't want to think about this. Not yet. She had just seen a whole world die, with millions, if not billions of people on it. No more thoughts about death, at least for this day.

"Why so silent, Ice Queen," Yang asked her suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

Yang chuckled darkly, a rattling sound because of her mask, "I would have expected you to ask me more questions. Surely there are one or two."

"More than two, actually," Weiss admitted. "But how am I supposed to know whether or not you will answer me truthfully?"

"We used to be friends. Maybe we still are. If I can answer truthfully, I will. If not, I will tell you so."

"Fair enough, I guess."

"Alright, shoot."

Weiss took a deep breath. What to ask first. She couldn't be sure when she would get another chance, so she would have to focus on the important questions first.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what exactly? I've done a lot of things in my life." Yang laughed again, probably about a joke only she would understand.

"Why did you join the Empire? And when?"

Yang stopped suddenly and began tapping the index finger of her robotic hand against the nose of her Grimm faced helmet. It was an unpleasant sound, metal against metal.

"When did I join… feels like ages ago," Yang mused, "but I would say about… four years ago, maybe a bit more."

"But that means that you joined the Empire almost a year before you even joined Beacon," Weiss replied, astonished by this. So she was right, the Yang she had first met was indeed just a mask.

"Pretty much. I wasn't always a Sith apprentice, though. I was recruited by Imperial Intelligence after one of their agents had watched me fight some idiots in a bar. After that… that's a story for another day. That is nothing to tell in the middle of a corridor."

Again Weiss was surprised. Yang seemed different on so many levels. She wasn't nearly as brash and foolish as she had made everyone believe.

"As for why I joined. That one is simple. To protect Remnant, to protect my family."

"By throwing them under the bus?"

"Hey! It wasn't an ideal decision. I wasn't happy with it, but someone had to make it. The alternative would have been even worse. We have been lied to. We have been used, we have been abused. The councils, the headmasters, and most of all, our most esteemed Professor Ozpin, they all have betrayed us long before the Empire even knew that Remnant exists. I only paid them back in kind."

"What are you talking about?"

Yang growled angrily behind her mask. "Later, Weiss. I will show you all the proof I have. Every last bit of it. All the data, the intercepted messages. Everything. Remnant had been a doomed world before the Empire came. By helping them I did my part in saving our people."

None of this made sense. Just what had the Imperials shown Yang to turn her against her own people? Against the kingdoms and even against men like Ozpin? The headmaster had always been an outstanding member of society, a good and just leader and a respected headmaster. His disappearance after the invasion had crippled the earliest attempts of forming a united rebel front against the imperial occupation. Many had wondered whether the Empire had had him killed, but no matter what they had tried, even the Rebel Alliance had been unable to give an answer to that. He was just… gone.

Weiss was so deep in thought, that she forgot all of her other questions. Too much was plaguing her mind already, she just couldn't focus on anything else. She had barely even registered that they had reached a hanger, where a Lambda Class shuttle was waiting for them.

"Great, just what I needed," Yang groaned.

The sudden change of her temper had caught Weiss by surprise, but when she saw the reason she couldn't even fault Yang. Vader was there, waiting at the entrance of the shuttle.

"Master, is there anything you need from me? I was about to leave for Coruscant, just as the Emperor has ordered," Yang said. Her voice sounded strained, no sign of her earlier happiness left.

"A situation has arisen. You will delay your departure for a few hours," the Sith Lord commanded. "Your servants have to leave."

Weiss shuddered as she realized what the man could possibly want from Yang. Was this the start of a disciplinary action? She had openly rebelled against her master and a Grand Moff. She looked towards Melanie and the lieutenant didn't look thrilled either. But she didn't seem worried. Was this a regular occurrence?

"Melanie, take Weiss to the Resolute. Get her settled in and wait for me. I will send a message when I need a lift," Yang replied stoically before she followed Vader out of the hangar.

"Let's go," Melanie said, as she grabbed Weiss arm and pulled her towards the shuttle.

Weiss didn't like this situation, at all.

"You really want to abandon her?"

"Abandon," the woman scoffed, as she forcefully shoved Weiss into the co-pilot seat of the shuttle. "Vader has some special mission for her, nothing we can help her with."

"So this is not a punishment?"

"For what? For disagreeing with Tarkin? Fuck him, Vader most likely laughed his ass off under that mask. Neither master nor apprentice is fond of the Grand Moff. It's only the question who will kill Tarkin first, Vader or Draconis. The moment the Emperor considers Tarkin expendable, the Grand Moff's life will be forfeit."

More infighting amongst the Imperial leadership. Just how can these people control all those systems with so many issues?

"And besides," Melanie continued, "If Vader had intended to punish her, he would have just attacked her the moment she had entered the hangar. It is a common occurrence to see those two fighting. Most common soldiers think they are training and watching their brutal matches only raises the fear and loyalty of the men."

The shuttle slowly began moving and finally left the hangar. Weiss breathed a relieved sigh, as she watched the station disappear from her immediate sight. But just as they moved away from the Deathstar, another ship was pulled in by the tractor beam. Weiss only saw it briefly, that weird pile of junk. But she had no time to ponder this much, as her shuttle approached the Star Destroyer Resolute. The ship that would take her back to Coruscant. Back to her father.

* * *

Ruby counted to one hundred. Again. For the sixth time… or was it the seventh? No matter. She had to occupy her mind, as she lay alone in her hiding spot. Only a few more minutes. A few more moments and she would get out of this place. It felt worse than getting stuffed in a locker and she was sure that her arms and legs had spent far too long bent into angles that they really shouldn't be in.

She could hear steps above her. Heavy boots, likely those of soldiers. She would have preferred to meet them in open battle. It seemed inevitable and hiding like a stowaway wasn't her idea of fun. But Master Obi-Wan had insisted. Let the enemy think the ship had been abandoned. Buy ourselves some time to escape. Good thing that Captain Solo was a smuggler and not some upstanding member of society, or else there wouldn't have been these convenient hiding spots on his ship.

Commotion could be heard nearby. A fight? There had been no shots, so most likely a sneak attack. They had started without her!

Only when the sounds had stopped once more, someone finally lifted the heavy metal plate under which she was hiding. It was Luke who had come to free her, but he looked entirely too amused when he saw her.

"That sure looks comfortable. Want to stay a bit longer? We can free the ship in the meantime," the boy joked.

"Very funny," Ruby replied moodily, "Help me up, please. Didn't have much time to get comfortable in here before Captain Solo locked me in."

"Well excuse me, highness, for saving you. Again, I might add," the smuggler ranted, as he walked past them. He dragged a Stormtrooper with him, who was either dead or unconscious.

She followed Solo and soon saw several more imperial soldiers and an officer, all stacked up in a pile.

"So what are we going to do now?" Ruby asked.

She saw Luke and Solo begin to undress the soldiers, but she couldn't see Obi-Wan anywhere. Chewbacca wasn't nearby either, but at least she could hear the Wookie's growling somewhere nearby. He was likely keeping watch near the entry of the ship.

"The old man and the droids have already left to find us a way out. But we still need to get to the command center to make sure that they won't blast us to bits the moment we make our escape. So its time to play dress up," Solo explained. "Here, try this on."

He handed her the helmet of a Stormtrooper and quickly returned to his task. Ruby only looked at the helmet with great distrust, as she considered putting it on. She really, really didn't want to.

"What? Not your size, kiddo?" Solo asked.

The man had begun to dress up in the uniform of the officer, as Luke was nearly done with his own Stormtrooper getup.

"Why do you get to be the officer?" Ruby asked.

"Because no one would be stupid enough to think that you are a ranking officer. Trust me, I have experience with these clowns, I can pull it off. Now get dressed or we leave you here," Solo told her.

She wasn't happy but complied. But the Stormtrooper armor turned out to be as much as nuisance as she had dreaded. It didn't fit right, felt clunky and the helmet made it harder to see than it should have. She felt caged in this getup but had to admit that this was the only way to move around without being seen by the enemy.

"This armor stinks," she muttered.

"Stop complaining, kiddo. It will keep you alive for a little longer," Solo shot back. "And don't even think about taking your toy along. That's not standard issue for a Stormtrooper."

"And how am I supposed to fight?"

He threw her a blaster rifle. Standard Issue. Heavy, clunky, and not at all her style. She already hated what they were about to do. Going anywhere without Crescent Rose… it made her feel exposed. Especially with enemies like Vader on this station.

"Don't worry, Ruby. It will be alright. Ben will get us out of here in no time, trust me," Luke tried to cheer her up, but had he seen the scowl on her face, he would have given up on this impossible task. But the helmet spared him this hideous sight.

"Come on, kids, let's get moving," Solo muttered, "I just hope this works or this will be a very short stroll."

Solo moved towards his Wookie friend, who had been waiting near the exit of the ship. Some arguing and angry growls from the hairy alien later, Chewbacca had his hands bound by some heavy looking handcuffs.

The soldiers outside were immediately alert when they saw the Wookie, though they relaxed somewhat when they saw the cuffs and the escort.

"Looks like we found one today," Solo exclaimed in fake joviality. "This beast was hiding in some secret cargo hold."

"Shall we take care of him, sir?" One of the Stormtroopers asked.

"No need," Solo replied, "I shall take this one down to the prison personally before I make a report to the captain." Then he glared at the Stormtroopers. "You two, guard the ship entrance. Make sure no one enters or leaves, no matter what. The rest of my team is still searching."

"Yes, sir," the soldiers replied and quickly took up their positions to the left and right of the ramp.

Ruby had to admit, Solo wasn't half bad at this. Just watching him walk around, each step filled with purpose and each look at the underlings with a measured amount of disdain, it almost seemed as if Han Solo had been an Imperial officer for all of his life. But of course, that was ridiculous. He was a smuggler through and through. An honestly dishonest soul.

They followed him, as he leads them out of the hangar and into the corridors of the station. Soldiers, mechanics and other crewmen could be seen everywhere. The whole station seemed to be even more crowded than a city.

But no one seemed suspicious of them. Most were to busy looking at Chewbacca will undisguised disdain. It angered her to see such blatant racism. But it wasn't much of a surprise. The Empire wasn't exactly a place of tolerance and freedom. Remnant hadn't been one either, she had to admit, as she remembered the treatment of the Faunus on her homeworld.

She was glad when they had finally reached the command room of the hangar. Only a low ranking officer and two crewmen were inside, together with two very familiar droids. Just how had Luke's astromech and that golden nuisance managed to get here without anyone ever wondering where they belong to?

"Hey, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area and..."

Chewbacca roared and punched the officer across half the room. The other managed to pull out his blaster before he was shot down by Solo.

"Can't he do anything quietly? He will inform the entire station of our presence," Luke complained.

"Yeah? You go tell him that," Solo said flippantly before he went to the console. "Alright, now let's see what we can do about those weapons."

"R2, can you do anything?" Luke asked his droid.

R2D2 beeped happily before he found himself an access port. A few moments and several different beeping sounds later, the astromech had succeeded.

"What do mean you found her?" the other droid, the golden menace known as C3PO, asked the smaller droid. "Princess Leia?"

"The one who sent the message to Ben?" Luke asked.

"Apparently Princess Leia is here on this station in one of the holding cells," C3PO answered, "Oh… apparently, her execution has been ordered."

"Wait Princess Leia Organa is here?" Ruby asked as she couldn't believe it.

She had only met the princess briefly. Too brief to even call them acquaintances, but she knew that Weiss was on the fast track to becoming a close confidant of the Alderaanian princess. Wherever Leia went, Weiss would follow… but that also meant…

"R2D2, can you please check if there is a Weiss Schnee among the prisoners?"

She waited for what seemed like an endless amount of time before the droid replied. Weiss wasn't here. She was not listed as a prisoner. Ruby breathed a relieved sigh.

"A friend of yours?" Solo wanted to know.

"Yes. The best one. She is from my home planet."

"Wait a sec, Schnee? Is she one of those upstarts who have bought their way into Imperial high society?" Solo asked suddenly.

"She isn't like the rest of her family," Ruby laughed awkwardly. The Schnee Dust Company wasn't very well liked by most people and by extension the Schnee's were disliked as well. But she knew the real Weiss, her partner, and her friend.

"Does it matter," Luke interjected, "We need to go and save the princess."

"Listen, kid, I am not going anywhere. We are waiting here for the old man to return and then we will get the hell out of here. I'm not risking my life for some prissy noble," Solo replied.

"We can't just leave her here. They will kill her!"

"Not our problem, kid," Solo remained unyielding. "They will kill us, too, if we don't get out of here soon."

But Ruby had an idea. "You may not like her, but you do like credits!" she said, "Guess who has a lot of those! That's right, the rebels. They would be willing to pay a pretty prize to get one of their leaders back."

"Money isn't worth a thing if you are too dead to spend it."

"We can do it. I know we can. Or maybe you are too scared for the best paying job of your entire life," Ruby told him, a sly smirk on her lips. Not that anyone would have seen it. Damn helmet.

"I really don't like this… and I'm starting to think that I really don't like you either, kiddo," the smuggler muttered before he groaned in defeat.

* * *

She was here. Yang could hardly believe her own senses, but as she allowed herself to reach out with the Force, she could feel her. Here. On the Deathstar. Ruby was here, on the same station as Vader. There was no doubt about it. The same warm presence she had always felt when she was close to her on Remnant. The same light in the ever growing darkness...

"Dammit," Yang yelled, as she punched the wall next to her with her robotic fist. The Force infused hit left a deep dent in the wall and sent all nearby personal scrambling away in fear.

This was a nightmare in the making. Vader would kill her. If he hadn't sensed her yet, he would do so soon. And her master, being the monstrous butcher that he is, would not hesitate to kill Ruby. Her presence in the Force was screaming Jedi. Wild, untainted, utterly pure of any dark side corruption. Yang would have envied her sister for that, had she not tasted the sweet promise of power that the Dark Side offers. Denying herself this power… it seemed ridiculous to Yang. She would never give it up again.

But Ruby was different... Maybe she shouldn't have told the girl all those stories about the valiant heroes when they were younger. Now Ruby tries to become one herself. Only the bad guys in this story don't hesitate to kill, they don't stop for hour-long evil monologues. Ruby was in danger.

There was, of course, another Force-sensitive intruder on the station. The man Vader was hunting now. The man she was supposed to find for her master. The infamous Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last known survivor of the former Jedi Council.

Yang could only hope that Vader's fixation on Kenobi would blind him to Ruby's presence and that her sister would be fortunate not to run into the monster.

Only one solution seemed feasible now. She had to find Ruby first. Find her, incapacitate her and smuggle her to the Resolute. There would be hell to pay for that later, but it was preferable to the other possible outcomes.

But should Ruby somehow find out who she really is…

No, that mustn't happen. The Emperor had insisted that Ruby would only be allowed to roam free for as long as they remain apart from each other. It was the most important part of their deal and she wouldn't be the one to break it. For Ruby… and the Emperor. She wouldn't break her vows to either of them.

' _I will always have your back'_ The words, once spoken to her sister, still echoed in her mind and her dreams. One of the promises she wouldn't break.

Now where to find her. She could feel her presence, but pinpointing her location on this giant station seemed too difficult to manage. No, she had to approach this in a different way.

Ruby had come here on the trash heap of a smuggler's ship they had pulled into one of the hangars. She was likely planning to escape the same way she had arrived, on that ship. Her sister had become far too adventurous for Yang's liking. If Vader wouldn't kill her, that ship surely would…

She growled in annoyance. Then she took some deep breaths to calm herself.

To escape the station they would need to accomplish two tasks. Disable the hangar weapons and the station's tractor beam. The Resolute wouldn't interfere. They wouldn't do anything without her orders.

Yang approached a nearby console and had a look at the layout of the station. She was closer to the stations lower levels, where the tractor beam and other important sub-functions of the station are managed. The hangar was several long elevator rides away.

"The tractor beam controls first, then," she muttered.

As swiftly as her feet would carry her, she moved through the corridors of the station. The stations engineering stations were two levels above her, closer to the core, where the Deathstar's crystal heart was humming with unimaginable power.

She had to wait for an elevator, yet as it arrived, several high ranking officers were inside. Tarkin's brown-nosing idiots. One of them was a captain, the others only lieutenants and commanders.

"Lady Draconis," the captain began sweetly. It was sickening how he leered at her.

"Out, all of you. I will not suffer your presence," she growled.

The lower ranking officers quickly pushed past her, but the captain didn't. His eyes were still roaming her form. Now she rued that she wasn't wearing her armor. Apparently wearing a helmet that looks like a grotesque monster isn't deterrent enough when your bust is bigger than average.

"I said out, you sniveling bastard," she repeated angrily, as she raised her hand to Force choke the idiot. She had no intention to kill him, merely to maim… a little at least. She wasn't allowed to maim Tarkin, so maybe his subordinates would have to suffice... But she didn't maim him. Too little time, a pity. She used the Force to throw the captain out of the elevator and against a nearby wall. Then she spared him and his underlings, not a second thought before she entered the elevator and punched the button for the engineering level.

The moment she stepped out of the lift, she could feel it. This presence in the Force. Someone was here, someone strong in the Force. It wasn't Vader, that much was assured. She would know whenever he was near. She could feel his tainted presence. No, it was someone else. Either Ruby… or the Jedi.

She continued her march to the tractor beam control. The controls themselves were situated on a small bridge that crossed the large chasm that separated the inner core of the station from the mid-rim. She would never understand just why they had built the station like this and to be honest, she didn't care enough to find out. Her interest in technology was limited to applications she could use in personal combat, not planet eating super weapons.

"Stormtroopers!" Yang barked, to get the attention of the patrol nearby. The men weren't really doing their job, instead, they were gossiping like a bunch of old women. This may be one of the most boring posts in the Empire with the least chance of ever seeing combat, but negligence while on duty was still a punishable offense.

"Lady Draconis," one of the Troopers said, as he and the rest of his patrol snapped attention. "We have nothing to report, my lady."

"I thought as much. Continue your patrol and..." she stopped. The Force user was close. She could feel the presence, as he reached out with the Force. "Leave!"

"My lady?" the Stormtrooper asked, obviously confused.

"Take the scenic route for your next round," Yang ordered.

The men saluted, as they understood what she wanted. They had to leave the area and it wasn't their damn business to know why. They were happy enough to escape one of the resident Sith without getting punished for breathing. Vader was quite feared among the troops, a fear that extended to her in her role as his apprentice. And she hadn't even murdered anyone yet. Reputation by association, what a sham.

Yang watched them leave before she crossed the bridge. She stopped briefly before she walked on. Yes, he was here. Not Ruby. The Jedi.

She unhooked the lightsabers from her belt and ignited them. The twin red sabers were buzzing with anticipation, as was she. Would she be able to take a Jedi? She had never fought one of them. According to Imperial propaganda, they were extinct. Hunted down like the traitors they are. One had obviously escaped their notice.

"Jedi filth," she growled, "Stop hiding and show yourself!"

She didn't turn around, but she heard the steps behind her and the sound of an igniting Lightsaber. This would be her moment to shine… or to die. A fight against a real Jedi. Fuck Vader and his obsession with the old man. She wouldn't let this chance to test her skills pass by.

"So you must be Darth Vader's apprentice. Never would I have believed that he would be willing to take on another student, let alone a girl. Not after what had happened to his first student," the old Jedi said.

Yang turned slowly around to face the man. What she saw didn't intimidate her nearly as much as it should have. An old man, in dirty old robes that had been mended at least once too often. He looked wary, and not at all like the holo recordings she had seen of the great General Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had been a dashing and powerful man. She would have fancied his younger self, had she lived a few decades earlier. Now he was a spent old man. The only threating thing about him was the Lightsaber in his hand. Blue… how fitting. Red against blue, Sith against Jedi. Just as she had read about in the history files.

"You've got some nerve coming here, Jedi," Yang said.

"Oh, I know when I am not wanted. In any case, I was just about to leave before you so rudely stopped me here for this chat."

Yang chuckled. Was this supposed to be his idea of humor?

"If you think that I would allow you to leave, then you have clearly not been paying attention to your studies. Or is it the old age catching up with you?" she said, as she pointed one of her Lightsabers at Kenobi.

"While I would like to stay and point out all the flaws in your stance and correct your mistakes in a fight, I fear that I do not have the luxury of time for it. That and I already have two students and no room for a third. Especially one who would be such high maintenance as a fledgling Sith apprentice."

Two students? The Emperor wouldn't like this. The Inquisitors had obviously done a piss poor job at preventing the return of the Jedi when this one already had students of his own. If there are any other Jedi left, who knows how many of them would start crawling out of their holes to terrorize the Empire… But did this mean that Ruby was one of them? He had arrived with her and Yang had no doubt that her sister would do anything to become a Jedi. She was idealistic like that.

"You damn fool," Yang growled, "So it is your fault that she is here!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ruby! You brought her here! You delivered her right to Vader, on a silver platter to boot!" Anger rose in Yang's chest. Dangerous anger, an uncontrollable fury.

"Such power, such raw emotion. Now I see why the Emperor has given you to Vader. You are more alike to your master than you might know."

"Shut up," Yang yelled. "Do you have any idea what you have done? If Vader finds her, all I have done will have been for naught. All the lives lost, all the sacrifices made, all the things I have suffered through. All for naught because of you!"

The Jedi looked at her with a deep frown. Or was it a thoughtful look? He was certainly not afraid of her, which was a new experience. Only Vader and the Emperor had never feared her. All others, including the few friends she had, knew to fear an angry Draconis.

She put one of her Lightsabers away before she grasped her helmet with her free hand and pulled it off. She wanted him to see her face. To see her fury. To see the fire in her eyes. Only then he would understand the sheer hatred she felt for him. For being a Jedi. For disrupting the peace of the Empire… and for endangering Ruby like this.

As he saw her without her helmet, she saw his expression change. Into pity.

"Don't you dare to pity me, Jedi filth. There is only one chance for you to leave this station alive," Yang growled. She had to make a choice, one she would pay for, without a doubt. But it was for Ruby's sake, not her own. The Jedi may be her sister's only chance to gain the power she would need to survive in this galaxy.

"Do you believe yourself my equal, young Sith?"

"In full rage, perhaps. But you shouldn't fear my blade, but Vader's. The moment we fight, he will feel the confrontation. He will be here in a heartbeat to finish you off." A gamble first. It wouldn't do for the Jedi to think that she was doing this for his sake.

"Self-sacrifice for the sake of the cause, not a trait of a true Sith," Kenobi countered. "Maybe there is still hope, even for someone like you, who has fallen so far at such a young age."

"Spare me your platitudes, Jedi," Yang spat. "I give you one chance. Only one. Leave this station. Take my sister as far away from Vader as physically possible. Only then I will let you live."

"Your sister..." Kenobi muttered, obviously surprised now. And who would fault him? Yang resembles both her parents, whereas Ruby was a clone of her own mother. They look nothing alike.

"Take her and leave," Yang replied.

"And Vader?"

"Vader is my burden," she replied, as she turned away from the Jedi. She grabbed the commlink she always carried with her an hailed her master. "Master, I have located Kenobi."

"Where is he?"

"I have spotted him on the way to the command center. I will engage him and..."

"Do not attack him. The Jedi is mine!" Vader's voice was filled with hatred, a deep growl that sent shivers down her spine. Whatever had happened between her master and the old Jedi, it had left Vader with a deep seeded hatred. She would pay dearly for letting him go. All for Ruby. Only for her.

"You help me? For your sister's sake?" Kenobi asked as he was sure that the connection to Vader had been cut.

"Make no mistake, Jedi," she spat, "Had you come here without Ruby, one of us would be dead by now. But keeping Ruby away from Vader is more important than my desire to test my skills. But never forget, should Ruby come to harm because of you, nothing in this galaxy will protect you from my wrath. The next time we meet, I will kill you."

She pushed her helmet back on her head, ignoring the long strands of golden hair that still escaped its confines. Then she walked away from the Jedi. It took all the willpower she had not to attack the man. The man who represents all the things she had been taught to hate. But she would remain steadfast. For Ruby. Everything for Ruby…

* * *

Ruby was nervous. They were in the elevator, down to the detention center, to bust out a princess and save the day. Or at least that was what she had had in mind at first. But the longer they had to walk to get to the cells, the more she began to doubt the crazy plan they had come up with.

They were really far away from the ship now. Too far for a quick getaway. And Master Obi-Wan had not returned yet. He didn't even know about their plan… This wouldn't end well…

The elevator stopped, and they entered the cell block. An officer and several troopers stood inside, all of them looking at Ruby's group will undisguised surprise and distrust.

As they stepped closer, the officer spoke up, "Where are you taking this… thing?" he asked, as he regarded Chewbacca with disgust.

"Prisoner transfer, from Cell Block 1-1 3-8," Solo replied monotonously.

The officer wasn't happy. Of course, someone would have notified him of a transfer. And of course, they should have known that he would check their claims. Still, he gestured for his troopers to take Chewbacca to a cell.

And when they tried to grab the large Wookie, all hell broke loose. In hindsight, Ruby wouldn't be able to tell who short first. But as she sprang into action, the officer was already dead and his troopers had begun to take cover and return the fire. All around her things exploded, as Captain Solo, Luke and Chewie shot at all the security systems in the entrance area of the cell block.

"Do you even know how to shoot a gun?" Solo barked at her, once the brief firefight was over.

"I… of course I do. I just..."

"Just what?"

"I just never killed another human being before… or an alien for the matter," Ruby replied. Only Grimm and robots. She had never killed anyone. Even the White Fang and all the other bad guys had ever only been knocked out. Yet now she stood in a room full of corpses and reality came crashing down around her. They wouldn't leave the station without killing more enemy soldiers. She would have to kill.

"Great. A real saint and you want to be a rebel? Fight the Empire without hurting them? What do you want to do, hug them into submission? Unbelievable," the smuggler muttered angrily. "You go with boy wonder and get your princess."

She did as she was told and hurried after Luke as Solo tried to buy them more time by talking to the alerted authorities. They would have to be quick, after that shootout, the place would be crawling with enemies soon.

But first, she would get rid of the ridiculous helmet. If she had to fight, at least she would have to see her enemies.

Just as she had reached the cell Luke had entered, Solo's voice echoed through the hallway, "Luke we're gonna have company."

"Hurry, or we will be cut off," Ruby said, as she stormed into the cell.

"You! I remember you. You've been on Alderaan. One of my father's guests," Princess Leia said, as she looked at Ruby.

"Yeah, that's me. Ruby Rose, Huntress in training, rebel in training, and now Jedi in training… I really should finish one of those sometime," she muttered awkwardly.

Shots could be heard outside and the howling warcry of the Wookie. Luke was the first out of the door, followed by Leia and Ruby. But it was too late. Solo had already been pushed away from the command console and forced to take cover in the long cell corridor. The dead-end corridor.

"That's supposed to be a rescue," Leia asked Luke scathingly. "Well done."

"Listen here, princess, we came here for you, but some sort of gratitude would be welcome," Solo shot back, as he had reached them in his escape from the increasing number of Stormtroopers.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" the princess muttered before she took the blaster rifle from Luke and began firing at the advancing enemies. "Which cell is Weiss in?"

Ruby was surprised that the princess asked this. Wasn't she aware that Weiss wasn't a prisoner?

"The Schnee girl? She wasn't listed as a prisoner," Luke told her. "In fact, she wasn't mentioned at all. Ruby already checked."

"That can't be right. She had been with Vader's apprentice before. Surely she wouldn't..." A hint of doubt had wormed its way into the princess expression.

Ruby wasn't sure what Leia was thinking at that moment, but it must have been something about Weiss and her possibly conflicting loyalties. Had Weiss betrayed them? Preposterous. Ruby wouldn't waste any time even considering this. Instead, she began firing at the enemy. The first time her shot hit a man, her eyes went wide. He stumbled and fell. He didn't get back up. She forced the nauseous feeling away and continued firing. Those Stormtroopers would show no regard for her survival, so she shouldn't worry about theirs… still, she did.

Then Leia snapped out of her thoughts. She pointed her blaster at the cover of the nearby trash shute. She blasted a whole into it, big enough for an adult to fit through before she returned the blaster to Luke and jumped into the hole.

Ruby looked at Luke, who looked back equally surprised before he followed the princess. Chewbacca roared loudly in protest, as he looked at the whole.

"I don't care how you smell afterward. Get in there," Solo yelled at the Wookie. "You, too, kiddo."

Ruby nodded, and followed the others down the chute and right into a large room filled with waste and debris. The stench was horrible and for some reason, the room was filled knee-deep with water.

"This is so disgusting," she muttered, as she made her way over to where Luke and Leia were. Near the only door out of the room.

A loud splash behind her announced the arrival of their last companion. Han Solo had stayed until the last moment before he had made his escape… though Ruby wasn't sure whether they had escaped or just trapped themselves.

* * *

Weiss watched the approaching Star Destroyer with great trepidation. This ship would take her back to Coruscant, to her father. Being near him was the last thing she would have ever wanted, but it was inevitable now.

Yet this ship, the Resolute, was also the place where would get answers. Yang had promised and Weiss trusted her friend… former friend? What was Yang to her now? She didn't know. She would have to get more answers first. Yang had promised those.

"Here were are, home sweet home," Melanie sighed. Despite them getting away from the Deathstar and Vader, the woman still looked horribly tense. "Come, I will see to it that you get a room. And maybe something better to wear. I like dressing up, but even I know that the current fashion sense of the high society leaves much to be desired in terms of comfort."

"That would be… good. Thank you," Weiss replied diplomatically.

They disembarked from the shuttle, only to be greeted by two long rows of Stormtroopers and officers. They must have expected Yang's return, Weiss realized. How odd to see the amount of respect the woman now commands. At Beacon, she had always seemed less authoritarian and more the happy-go-lucky.

"Back to your posts, Lady Draconis will join us later," Melanie announced loudly.

Most of the troops left, except for some officers, the captain among them, and some black-clad men in uniforms Weiss had never seen before. And all of them were wearing helmets that resembled the faces of Grimm. Ursa and Beowolves.

"Captain, please see to it that the ship is ready to depart as soon as Lady Draconis is on board. Whatever business she has with Lord Vader, it will hopefully be concluded soon," Melanie told the man.

The woman was lower in rank, but apparently being the left-hand-woman of a Sith did afford her more respect than others. Still, she spoke with respect to the captain, so he had no reason not to reciprocate in kind.

"The Resolute is ready to leave immediately, if necessary. I will return to the bridge then," the captain said.

He was an old man, bald with a grey beard. He looked jovial enough to stand out among the usual Imperial ship captains. Maybe it had something to do with Yang. Maybe working for her was better than one would expect. All she had heard was that officers tend to die quickly when they displease a Sith. But then again, the only Sith the people truly knew was Vader. And the man had no qualms about killing. She wouldn't be surprised to see him kill a child that annoys him.

"So what is she doing on that station?" One of the masked men asked. Another familiar voice.

"That is none of your business, acolyte," Melanie hissed.

The man chuckled, as he removed his helmet. Weiss wasn't even surprised anymore, as she saw the face of another former Beacon student.

"Cardin Winchester," Weiss muttered, "Of course Yang had to pick the worst student of our year."

"Don't be like that, Schnee," Cardin sneered, "We are all friends now. All part of this glorious Empire. All servants of our beloved Lady Draconis."

"Stop wasting our time, acolyte. Get on the shuttle and stand by for our lady's call. Whatever Lord Vader wants from her, I doubt that it will end well," Melanie ordered before she put her hand on Weiss' shoulder and told her, "Come, leave these idiots alone."

Weiss was only too happy to follow. But the implications of this. Cardin Winchester… one wouldn't have to be a genius to realize that the other three were likely the rest of his misbegotten team. All of them had been missing during and after the battle for Beacon. Had they been with Yang from the very beginning? More questions she would need to ask, once Yang is back from the Deathstar. Or maybe Melanie could help.

"Those four, Winchester and his team, are they… like Yang?"

Melanie laughed. Not mockingly or false, but a laugh of utter amusement. "Those four? Please, these idiots don't even know how to spell Sith. They are acolytes. Shock troops in Lady Draconis' employ. She teaches them some tricks and how to use a Lightsaber without cutting themselves open and that's about it."

"If they are not very strong, why keep them around then?"

"You misunderstand. They are an effective weapon, but they are no Sith. They will never be Sith. At best they are training dummies for Lady Draconis. They are useful in battle and I know that my lady enjoys training them. It's like teaching your dog a new trick."

Now it was Weiss' turn to laugh. Comparing Winchester and his team to animals, there was a certain irony to it. They always called Faunus freaks and animals, making fun of them and whatnot. Now they were the little more than animals themselves. At least in comparison to the woman they serve.

"Say, why do you always refer to Yang as Lady Draconis? You know her true identity and it's not like there is anyone around us at the moment who would even know her real name. So why stick to this awful name?"

Melanie sighed and shook her head, as she adopted a sad look, "You misunderstand. Everything. You will understand in time. The woman you once knew is gone. The Yang Xiao Long from Remnant is dead. There is only Draconis now. There will only ever be Draconis."

That was an unsettling thought. Weiss was sure that she had seen several glimpses of the woman she had come to know during their year together as Team RWBY. Yang wasn't entirely gone and Weiss was sure that given a choice, Yang would rather ditch the new existence than her old one… or would she?

* * *

Ruby ran. As quickly as her feet would carry her. She had ditched several parts of the uncomfortable Stormtrooper armor along the way. All so she could reach the ship as quickly as possible.

She had been surprised when Captain Solo had offered to create a distraction. She was the fastest of their group and henceforth chosen to hurry to the ship and prepare it for taking off. She was nervous about it. Very nervous. So much was depending on her now.

It came as a surprise to her, that Solo had asked her to take his ship. She had no experience with ships or flying at all. She wasn't even sure which button to push or which lever to pull. But he said he was confident she would find the right one… right before he pushed a comlink into her hand and told her, in very clear words, that she was to contact him the moment she had reached the ship. He would guide her then.

His own diversion had worked miraculously well. As if they had nothing better to do, every single Stormtrooper patrol she had come across were hurrying in the direction of the commotion Solo had created. None of them ever saw her… and she had no need to use the blaster, not even once.

It was a relief. She didn't like killing other human beings… or aliens. She had trained to kill monsters, only monsters. She was no fool, though. She realized that in order to defeat this evil Empire, she would need to fight and kill. It was a necessity. That didn't make it any easier to stomach, however.

She concentrated on running, to keep her mind away from those dark thoughts. She reached the hanger in record time, much to her own satisfaction.

When she separated from the others, she had feared that she might get lost and end up in the wrong hangar. Or somewhere else entirely. But somehow she knew the way. How odd…

The Millenium Falcon sat abandoned in the hanger, with no more guards or technicians nearby. It was almost too quiet, but she pushed those suspicions away. She simply took the chance she had been given.

But to her surprise, she wasn't the first to return to the ship. The droids were there, as was the old Jedi.

"Master Obi-Wan," she exclaimed, happy to see him alive and well.

"Ruby?" Obi-Wan asked as he looked at her with a strange expression. Was he evaluating her again? "Where is Luke? And the others?"

"They will be here soon. We need to start the ship, so we can escape quickly."

"I had not expected that it would take this long to deactivate the hangar defenses," Obi-Wan told her, "We mustn't underestimate the Empire again."

Ruby laughed awkwardly. Apparently saving the princess had not been on the Jedi's agenda when he had left to sabotage the tractor beam. Well, he hadn't known about Leia being held on this station so… no harm no foul?

"We had to take a detour… to the detention level," Ruby said.

"You were caught? No, you went there for someone."

"Yes. They had Princess Leia and they planned to have her killed. We couldn't just leave her behind. She is important to the rebellion, isn't she?"

"Not just to them," the Jedi answered cryptically. "But go, prepare the ship. I have much to ponder." He then sat down on the ground, in a similar pose to the one he had taught her, and he began to meditate.

Ruby moved to the cockpit and got ready to contact Captain Solo when she spotted someone outside. It wasn't Solo or Chewbacca. It wasn't Luke or Leia either. No, it was one solitary Imperial. One of the Sith. Draconis! The one who had betrayed Beacon.

"I really shouldn't..." she muttered to herself. "I have to prepare the ship… but the droid can do that as well and..." she hesitated. Arguing with herself over an issue that shouldn't even be one. She had clearly gone mad from all the worry and excitement. Or was this normal for Jedi?

"Dammit," she growled, as she ran out of the cockpit. "R2, start the ship. Enemies are inbound." She spied Crescent Rose on the table in the main room of the ship and quickly grabbed it, as she ran out. She hadn't even considered warning old Obi-Wan, who seemed undisturbed by the presence of a Sith.

Only when she was outside, face to face with Draconis, Ruby realized the folly of her plan. She was alone, an untrained Jedi-in-training, facing off against a Sith. But there was no turning back now.

"Monster!" she exclaimed. "How could you betray us all? How could you betray Beacon and Remnant? All those people who have died in the attack, have they not been your friends, your comrades?"

Crescent Rose in hand, only dressed in the black body-suit the Stormtroopers wore underneath their armor, she was in no position to force the Sith to answer. The woman stood there… and chuckled.

"You seek vengeance, come and take it!" Draconis mocked.

Ruby was taken aback by the sound of the voice. This beast was using Yang's voice. A bastardized synthetic version of her voice. She couldn't allow this mockery to continue. She attacked.

Crescent Rose's blade shone in the artificial light of the hangar, as it descended upon Draconis. At first, it seemed as if the Sith wasn't even reacting at all. But then it happened. Two flashes of bloody crimson and Ruby's beloved weapon was no more. Two parts of the ruined weapon fell to the ground, as she kept the third, the staff of the scythe, tightly gripped in her hands.

Suddenly she was jerked back by an unseen Force. It wasn't Draconis who had pushed her away. It was Master Obi-Wan, who had used the Force to pull her back towards the ship.

"I don't know what game you are playing, Sith, but you won't claim this one today," the old Jedi exclaimed.

Ruby heard Draconis laugh, but the Sith didn't approach. Was she afraid of the old Jedi? No matter, as Luke and the others arrived, the fire of their blasters seemingly kept Draconis at bay. The woman didn't attack any of them, she merely batted their fire away with her Lightsabers.

The last thing Ruby saw of the Sith, just as the ramp of the Millenium Falcon closed, was Draconis turning her back on them… with her golden hair swaying behind her...

* * *

Yang was oddly satisfied with herself. Ruby had escaped. Her sister had gotten off the Deathstar and Vader had never even realized that she had been here. Her work here was done. Finally, she would be able to breathe a bit more freely now.

And maybe she had given Ruby the push needed to improve faster. She had a master to train her, soon she would hopefully gain the means to defend herself against Vader… and her. Otherwise Ruby would stand no chance to survive the war her terrorist friends had started.

She pulled her commlink from her belt and contacted her ship, "Melanie, I'm ready for pickup. Send my shuttle to hanger bay 17."

"Right away, my lady," came the swift reply from her dutiful friend.

A feeling of dread and the fear of imminent death suddenly flooded her senses. Barely in time, she managed to ignite her Lightsabers to block the incoming strike, as red clashed against red.

She pushed her assailant away, as she got ready to unleash all of her pent-up fury. She had plenty of anger to vent.

Vader stood before her, his Lightsaber in hand, threatening to cut her down.

"You let him escape! You allowed Kenobi to elude me once again," he growled, his rage audible in every word and feelable in the Force itself. "You stole my vengeance!"

"It wasn't yours to claim. Not today," she responded before she made the next step. She charged at him. The fight was inevitable. She would pay the price for her defiance. All that mattered was Ruby and Ruby was safe now… with her Jedi master to train her..

* * *

 **A/N: And cut...  
**

 **So the little adventure on the Deathstar has come and gone. At first, I had planned to make it longer, maybe even several chapters, but after rewatching the movie it is obvious that all the events on the station happen in a very short timeframe and drawing it out would kill the pacing.**

 **And I really know what some might get angry about. Yang isn't already turning back to the light. Maybe she never will. She isn't so far gone that she has forgotten her morals, but she is a creature of passion and lives the Sith dogma with every breath she takes. Letting Kenobi escape was not to help the rebels or an act of clemency. All she did was for Ruby's sake. If there was one thing Yang's arc in Volume 5 has made clear then it is that Ruby is Yang's absolute focus. So even here Ruby is some kind of passion project for Yang. She knows that Ruby would never willingly turn to the Dark side and she doesn't want her to. But she wants her sister to be safe. Ruby is idealistic, so she was kind of destined to join the ranks of the Rebellion and even the Jedi. Yang does what she has to do to ensure Ruby's survival. Make her strong enough to survive, by giving her a master and a reason to improve.  
**

 **So, I know that Obi-Wan faced Vader on purpose when they had been on the Deathstar. So why did I change this now? Because the situation has changed. It isn't just Luke, the new chosen one, but also Ruby he has to consider now. The whole Force ghost and gentle guidance might have worked for the farm boy, but Ruby is a wildcard. She may not be as strong as Luke in the long run, but her open connection to the Force makes her training a much greater challenge. She is affected much more directly and needs the constant monitoring of a Master. Obi-Wan saw this and decides to postpone the inevitable confrontation to prevent Ruby from falling to the dark side, which he considers a great risk. Especially after finding out that her sister is already a Sith.**

 **And yes, I laughed at the idea to use Cardin as Yang's personal attack dog for this story. Her acolytes are more like the Inquisitors, stronger than average but nowhere near as powerful as a Sith. But every respectable Sith needs goons. And Yang has hers.**

 **About Blake, i can only say this. She will show up after the events of 'A New Hope'. She already has found her place in the galaxy and has her people to support her. Sooner or later her paths will cross that of her friends again. Who will she join? Stick around and find out.**

 **Okay, Coruscant and Yavin next chapter. Yang goes home and Ruby finds her real purpose in this big galaxy...**


	5. Choices we made

Cold. She felt so cold, even though she was lying face down in a pool of her own blood. It should have felt warm… and wet. But it was only cold and sticky. But what had she expected? This was hardly the first time. She had infuriated her master more than once before and suffered the consequences. Only this time, he was so furious that he nearly forgot the Emperor's orders. This time, he would have killed her, had he not snapped out of his rage in time.

She chuckled darkly. A weak rumble in her chest, that only aggravated her sore throat. She hadn't even realized the danger until it was nearly too late.

He still stood over her, the red blade of his Lightsaber hoving dangerously close to her neck.

"Good spar, my master," she intoned weakly. "We should do this more often..."

She could only hear Vader's heavy breathing. That rattling sound that had haunted her nightmares during those first few months of her agonizing training. It didn't frighten her anymore. Not after what she had seen, not after what she had done in the name of the Empire…

His Lightsaber deactivated. "Do not fail me again, apprentice," Vader droned, almost emotionless.

The dark lord of the Sith turned away from her and left the hangar. He was dragging his left leg and his robotic left arm was exposed. She had landed some solid blows. Nothing that would have stopped the monster for good, but enough to feel a sense of accomplishment. After four years, she was slowly catching up to her superiors… slowly, but surely. The day would come when she would no longer have to fear Vader's retribution. The day when she would be a Sith in her own right, standing at the Emperor's side…

But that day was not today…

She tried to push herself up but failed. Her own robotic arm was gone. Cut into at least half a dozen pieces. There was probably a part of her in every corner of the hangar now.

A ship entered the hanger, a transport. She could turn her head enough to see it. The ramp opened and four familiar figures spilled out. Cardin and his boys. Her ever-faithful acolytes.

Cardin was the first to reach her. He didn't wear his mask, ignoring her orders. Pushy bastard, always testing his boundaries. Well, she couldn't fault him this time. She wasn't wearing her mask either. She had discarded the thing when Vader had tried to crush it with the Force.

"Again?" Cardin asked. A look of annoyance flashed across his face, as he knelt next to her.

Yang chuckled, "You should see the other guy. Won't be able to leave his house without a mask for the rest of his life. No more luck with the ladies for him."

Cardin only shook his head, "Sky, get the stretcher… and contact the Resolute. We need the doctors as soon as we get back." he ordered before he turned back to her. "What did you do to Vader to get him this mad?"

"Who said that it was Vader? Maybe it was Tarkin?"

"Tarkin? Really?"

"We danced a little and you know me. I get really wild when I dance..."

"Right," Cardin wasn't buying it. He was used to her bullshit by now. "So will you tell me what happened or do I have to guess?"

"Ruby was here," she relented, "Couldn't allow Lord Bucket to get his hands on her."

Cardin frowned deeply, as he heard this. She knew that he wasn't exactly fond of most of the former Beacon students. He had stuck with his team to survive. He had taken her offer to serve her to survive. He had only learned obedience by countless hours of getting his ass kicked from one end of the galaxy to the other by her. He wouldn't even pretend that he likes her sister, not that she would have believed him even if he had. As long as he would keep his hand off Ruby, there would be no issues.

"So she is a rebel now?" Cardin finally asked, as the other acolytes picked her up and placed her on the stretcher they had brought.

"Yeah. And soon she will also be a Jedi." Cardin looked at her in what must have been a mixture of shock and pity. She hated that look.

"That complicates matters," he muttered, as he rolled her onto her back.

"The Force is strong in my family. Dad would be so proud," she muttered sarcastically.

If he even knew. Yang had looked for her father once. Only once. He had disappeared from Remnant. Maybe he had only joined the underground resistance against the Empire. Kept himself hidden from everyone. Maybe he had left the planet with some rebels or smugglers. Or maybe he was dead. It was hard to forget how he had broken down when Summer had disappeared. Maybe actually seeing footage of his oldest daughter getting cut down had finally broken him.

She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about that possibility. Sadness for losing her dad? Remorse for forcing him to suffer this pain? Deep down a different feeling was rearing its ugly head. Disgust. Disgust for a weak man who couldn't be there for two daughters when their mother disappeared. Disgust for the man who might not have been able to continue for the sake of his last living child. Yes… that feeling was the strongest… and she didn't even know yet whether he was really dead or not.

She didn't even want to consider what he would say about her, after seeing what she had become, what she was about to become.

"Is your arm still around?" Cardin asked as the others began carrying her to the shuttle.

"Everywhere, nowhere. Vader wasn't exactly gentle with it."

"A replacement, then. Luckily we still have half a dozen in reserve."

"They break too fast," she tried to pout but failed miserably. She just felt weak and tired. A nice long nap in a warm Bacta Tank would do wonders for her.

The trip back to her ship was thankfully quick and knowing her captain, he would jump to Lightspeed the moment the shuttle had landed. Getting some distance between her and Vader… no, between her and Tarkin's giant technological nightmare, that would do wonders for her mood as well.

* * *

"This was far too easy," Princess Leia exclaimed.

"Easy? You call that easy?" Captain Solo shot back.

"They let us escape. They are most likely tracking this ship as we speak," the princess replied, as she looked condescendingly at the smuggler.

Ruby had to admit, the princess was most likely right. Something did seem… strange. Except for the appearance of Draconis at the very end, they had not faced any real opposition the entire time. Vader hadn't shown himself, and all his apprentice had done was mocking her. And then there was Master Obi-Wan, who seemed strangely quiet after their escape. Not to mention that he looked at her in such an odd way ever now and then.

She turned away from the ensuing argument between the smuggler and the princess, instead, she walked back into the common room of the Millenium Falcon.

Luke was there, training again. Obi-Wan and the droids watched, as he continued with his Lightsaber exercises.

Now she wished she had a Lightsaber of her own. Crescent Rose, her beloved weapon, was gone. Draconis had cut through it as if it wasn't even there. Her weapon has failed her against this threat and she now had to admit that she wasn't strong enough to face these enemies either. But she wouldn't give up. She would fight them, she would get stronger and she would free the galaxy.

"You look troubled, child," the old Jedi said, as she sat down next to him.

"I'm… I was…" what was she supposed to say to that? Only the truth, "When I faced Draconis, I felt this anger. It felt as if the only thing I've ever wanted was to hit this Sith. To hurt her, kill her."

"It was a moment of intense emotional duress," Obi-Wan said, "The dark side tried to seduce you to its side through intense emotions. Anger, hatred, lust for vengeance, those are feelings that lead you down a dark path. Do not allow them to cloud your mind."

"But… this woman, Draconis, she was mocking me. The voice, the hair, even the way she stood and walked, it was all so much like my sister. She sounded like Yang and it made me angry that they would pervert her memory like this."

Obi-Wan looked at her for a long moment. Pity was the predominant expression on his face, but there was also worry.

"Master Obi-Wan, how do we fight people like Draconis? Like Vader?"

Luke had heard the question and had paused his exercise to hear the answer, equally curious as she was about this. At the moment Vader and his apprentice seemed like an insurmountable obstacle in their quest to liberate the galaxy from the evil that controls it.

She didn't even want to think about the greatest evil, the one hiding in the shadows. Darth Sidious, the Emperor…

"For millennia the Jedi and the Republic have fought against the Sith. Wherever the Sith sowed chaos, we restored order. But the struggle is never fully over. It is a fight that begins within ourselves and extends to furthers reaches of the galaxy. Do not allow yourself to seek power for the sake of empowering yourself. Grow and evolve to lend your power to those who have none. Too many good Jedi have fallen to the dark side because they have not learned this lesson. Never forget, even the best of us can fall. Even the purest intentions can breed darkness if you approach the issue with the wrong state of mind."

He looked at her intently, as he said this. Was this directed at her alone, because of her earlier admission? Or was there another reason?

Her thoughts had drifted to Weiss for a moment. Her partner had been with Princess Leia on the Deathstar, but when they searched the prison database she was nowhere to be found. The last time she had been seen, she had been with Draconis… Had Master Obi-Wan met her during his mission? Has she turned on them? No… no, she wouldn't believe that. Weiss wouldn't willingly side with the Empire. She was the one who had brought the rebels to Remnant in the first place. She was more committed to the fight for freedom than anyone else. She would never switch sides.

"So how do we avoid the Dark Side?" Luke asked.

Again Obi-Wan remained silent for far longer than expected. The old Jedi master looked weary and deeply saddened for a moment. Ruby could only guess what thoughts must have crossed his mind. Vader had once been his apprentice or at least Obi-Wan had claimed that had been the case. His own student had turned on him, turned on the Jedi and on the Republic. That must have left some emotional scars.

"In the end, everyone must find their own path. My own master, a wise Jedi called Qui-Gon Jinn, had firmly believed in the Living Force. The belief that everything is connected through the Force and that a Jedi should always be mindful of the future consequences of his actions, but remain focused on the present. He tried to teach me, though he never quite succeeded in his lifetime." A sad smile passed over the old Jedi's face, as he spoke about his own master.

"Qui-Gon Jinn? You mean that Force ghost I've seen?" Ruby asked.

"I do not know if it was indeed Qui-Gon, but it could be possible," Obi-Wan said, "But what my master has taught me was one simple, yet not so simple truth about the Force. The Living Force has both Light and the Dark Side in it. In order to avoid the temptations of the Dark Side, a Jedi always has to be mindful of his actions."

"So… think first shoot later?"

The Jedi master gave her a tired smile, as he nodded, "In a very crude and basic sense. Your first and foremost duty is your training. Not just to fight, but also in many other aspects of the Force and other matters. A Jedi should always temper his intuition with wisdom. Trust the Force, but do not follow or oppose it blindly."

"I will try… though I don't really think I understand what you mean," Ruby admitted sheepishly.

Obi-Wan chuckled, before he stood up, "I need some rest now. Things will become hectic once we reach this rebel base. You two should rest as well."

Ruby considered sleeping for a bit but decided against it. She was still far too agitated to rest. So she just watched the old Jedi leave, before she turned her attention towards Luke and his training. But the farmboy wasn't doing his exercises, instead, he was watching her.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked, feeling weirded out by this kind of attention.

"What? Oh, no. Not at all," Luke scrambled for words, "It's just… why is your connection to the Force so different from mine? You started training at the same time as I did and still Ben treats you as if you are leagues ahead of me. It is… a little discouraging."

"I really don't know, honestly. Where I come from we have always believed that our abilities were something everyone could achieve through training. It was only after we have left Remnant that some of us lost their powers entirely, while others… changed."

She really didn't understand any of it. Weiss had ranted about Dust and its influence on the people that had come into constant contact with it, but Ruby didn't even know half of the fancy words her partner was using most of the time.

"So you are one of those who changed?" Luke probed further.

Ruby nodded, "I don't really know how to describe it… the moment I left Remnant it felt like… like I was drowning in an ocean, but only after I stopped struggling against it, I started to feel things I've never felt before. Master Obi-Wan has said that I have a very open connection to the Force, whatever that means…"

Was that why that ghost thingy told her to search for a master? To learn control? She hadn't pondered it as much as she probably should have. The idea of becoming a Jedi had been so exciting that she couldn't resist.

"All I know is that I struggle more with control than others," Ruby continued, "Pyrrha, one of my friends, she learned some of the tricks from reading things in the royal archives of Alderaan. When I left, she had already been able to lift larger rocks precisely with the Force alone. When I lift things with the Force, those things get dented."

An angry beeping could be heard from R2D2, who stood at the opposite end of the room. A safe distance from her, "I said I'm sorry, R2. Sheesh, droid drama queen."

Luke laughed lightly, as he heard the angry protests of the droid. It seemed unlikely that R2D2 would ever stay alone in the same room with Ruby ever again. At least not while she is meditating.

"So," he said, "Do you want to train with the Lightsaber a bit?"

Ruby was surprised by the offer. Master Obi-Wan had insisted on him training with the Lightsaber for now. But then again, the old master had retired and a sleeping man can hardly scold them… at least not until its too late.

She smirked, as she nodded. "So how does this work?"

"Here, let me show you," Luke offered, as he handed her the Lightsaber. He then took her hands and positioned them on the hilt of the weapon. "No, no. Hands closer together. You don't want to get them anywhere near the blade, trust me."

"Like this?" she asked, as she adjusted her grip. "It's far smaller than what I'm used to."

"Well, not everyone has a large hilt to hold on to. This is a cultured weapon," Luke grinned, as he repeated Obi-Wan's words.

"Yeah, I'm really used to larger ones..." Ruby muttered.

"Alright, what the heck is going on in here?" Captain Solo interrupted them, as he entered the room.

They hadn't seen him enter, as their backs had been turned towards the way to the cockpit and both had been far too busy fussing over the Lightsaber and the proper grip.

"On a second thought, I'd rather not know," the smuggler said before he turned around and went back to the cockpit. "They are not paying me enough for this."

"What was that about?" Luke wondered.

"Beats me. But Captain Solo has always been a little odd. Somehow I don't think he likes me very much," Ruby replied.

She would have to try harder to befriend him. Somehow she doubted that he would just disappear once they have reached the rebel base. Things would be much more interesting with him around, that much was assured.

* * *

Weiss watched the crew and officers on the bridge of the Star Destroyer Resolute with keen eyes. It wasn't her first time on an Imperial Star Destroyer, but it was the first time she could observe the men and women on such a ship work. The first Star Destroyer she had set foot on had been a newly constructed prototype with a new weapon her father's company had helped to build. The Avenger, the first of a new generation of imperial battleships.

Now she had her first chance to watch a fully manned Star Destroyer in action. Somehow it wasn't what she had expected, though. She tried to tune out the rebel propaganda, which she had also helped to create, so she could look at these people without the ingrained prejudice. She would have to play nice. And these were Yang's people. For her friend's sake, she would step away from her resentment for the Empire. For a time, at least. If all went well, she might be back with her allies in a month's time.

Deep down she was still a rebel, and the Imperials most likely know that by now. But for some odd reason, she was not in a cell or a shallow grave. Instead, she was treated like a guest. Yang's doing, most likely. The question why remained unanswered.

She watched the captain of the ship, as the elderly man issued commands before he seemingly retired to his quarters. Yang's lieutenant was nearby as well… No. It wasn't Melanie, it was her twin, Miltia. The red one. She would have to remember that. Both sisters wore hairpins with flowers, Melanie with a white flower, Miltia with a red one. And the latter also lacked the bladed heels her sister wore. Instead, she wore some strange vambraces that looked suspiciously like claws. They clashed as much with the imperial uniform as her sister's heels did. Weird people, those two.

But Weiss wondered where Yang had ended up. She hadn't seen the Sith since they had parted ways on the Deathstar. She was sure that Yang must have come back to her ship, or else they wouldn't have jumped to Hyperspace. So where was she?

Just as the captain had left, the other twin entered. Melanie looked annoyed and wary, as she approached her sister. There was a hushed conversation between them before the red twin left quickly. Melanie remained and approached Weiss.

"Ms. Schnee, I hope you found your quarters to your liking," Melanie said.

Light conversation. Something must have happened, Weiss realized. Imperial officers, especially those who hail from Remnant, rarely make pleasant conversation while on duty. At least she understood why those from Remnant dislike it. All of them had been former Atlesian soldiers. All hand picked by Ironwood to serve the Empire now. A stoic bunch with a frigid sense of humor. Her sister felt right at home among them. Well, Winter had always been dutiful and devoted in her service to General Ironwood… Governor Ironwood now.

"It was… sufficient. Though I can't say I like the clothes provided," Weiss replied calmly.

She searched the other girl's face for any sort of change, but her words obviously had no effect at all. The pleasant smile never wavered.

"A pity, though. White suits you and the acolyte robes are by far the most comfortable for a woman of your training," Melanie told her. There was a hint of envy in her words. Apparently, the uniforms are every bit as uncomfortable as they look.

But that comment… A woman of her training… Weiss almost laughed. Was it so hard to say the word huntress? Or was it a taboo these days, a relic of a world that had been subjugated in every way possible? By now she was aware that neither Melanie nor her sister had been huntresses. They must have had some training, but not at a formal school.

"Oh well, regardless of this, I think we should take a walk. I prefer to talk while walking, instead of standing in the way of the bridge crew," Melanie told her, before she turned to leave, "Come, Lady Draconis has promised you answers. I am here to deliver."

Answers… Weiss almost snorted. She avoided it, though. That would have been so uncouth. Even as a rebel on Alderaan, she had been trained in proper decorum. Queen Breha had seen to that…

A pang of sadness hit Weiss, as she remembered that the good queen and almost all her family and subjects were dead now… such a terrible waste. She pushed those feelings away, as she had done before, ever since she had watched the Deathstar destroy Alderaan. There would be a time to mourn, but that time wasn't now. Instead, she followed Melanie, hoping that she would finally find out why Yang had truly betrayed Beacon to the Empire.

"Where are we going?"

"To Lady Draconis personal rooms. She has given special permission for you to enter. A privilege you should not repay with treachery. Not even her acolytes are allowed in there."

Her acolytes. Cardin Winchester and his team. More traitors, though she could understand why they would turn. Cowards, the whole lot of them. Always looking for the best way to serve themselves. Joining forces with a Sith was likely the safest way they could find to escape from Remnant. But it made her wonder, how many other people from Remnant serve Yang now? And how many of them know who she truly is?

"Understand one thing, Ms. Schnee, we are well aware of your loyalties. You spilled your guts during Lord Vader's interrogation. In more than one way, in fact. But my lady is sure that you would understand her reasons. That you would see the truth and accept it, unlike your terrorist friends in that so-called Rebel Alliance."

Weiss cringed a bit when she heard this. She had no memories of her interrogation. Yang had only mentioned that she had to keep Vader from killing her. Had she really revealed everything? Was that why Tarkin had chosen Alderaan as the target for his demonstration? That would be a guilt almost too big to bear. All those lives lost because of her… In this moment of doubt, she almost missed the other admission. Vader had been none too gentle with his interrogation tactics, but that was to be expected when they had to keep her in a Bacta tank for several days.

The grey and silver corridors of the ship soon came to an end and Weiss stood before a large door. Melanie approached the console on the wall, left of the door and entered a code. Then the door opened with a hiss and allowed them to enter.

Yang's personal quarters were big. Very big, but just as messy as her dorm room at Beacon had been. Some things never change. Good memories, to banish the bad ones for some moments at least.

"So why exactly are we here?" Weiss asked, "If all you want to do is show me some data, almost every other room on the ship should have sufficed."

"This is just about the only place on the ship that allows us absolute secrecy. No one would dare to spy on a Sith, not even those fools at the Imperial Security Bureau. At the moment you are still a little secret that only a small group of people know about."

"How small?"

"Only the officers, Lady Draconis, and her acolytes. To the crew, you are just some important little lady from Coruscant. An arrogant little chit that looks down on them. They won't bother you at all," Melanie said.

The lieutenant then went over to a nearby console. She had to remove a black cloak, that Yang had likely discarded without much thinking before she could use it.

"So when is Yang going to join us?"

"In a few days, if all goes well," Melanie replied, not looking away from the screen of the console before her.

Weiss frowned. A few days? Was Yang not on this ship? Had they left her behind on the Deathstar, with Vader and Tarkin?

"Right, you don't know yet. Well, we haven't exactly told everyone. The captain is currently with her to get a status update."

"Has something happened?" Worry began to grow. This didn't sound right at all.

Melanie sighed a weary sound, "Nothing we haven't seen before. Lady Draconis has done something that has upset Lord Vader. The two have come to blows and she ended up badly hurt in a pool of her own blood."

And this was normal? Weiss paled greatly when she heard this. Just how insane are these people? Such madness… and Yang was at the very heart of this.

"Why… why would he do that? Isn't she his apprentice?"

"She is," Melanie replied grimly, "And he hates her for it. He despises her and had it not been for the Emperor, he would have killed her long ago. He has tried often enough. I don't know why they fought this time, but judging by the extent of her wounds, she must have done something that has enraged him."

"Madness..."

"That is the way of the Sith. It is where our lady got her name from."

"Draconis?"

"Yes. The Emperor gave her this name after she had returned from her year of exile on Ziost. Vader's training had been draconic, to say the least. It defined who she is now, hence the name."

"How can she serve this man?"

Melanie snorted derisively. "Serve Vader? You are mistaken. Yang's loyalty lies only with the Emperor. For him, she would slaughter a thousand worlds."

"That doesn't make sense. The Yang I knew..."

"Was a well-fabricated lie. Some of her characters shone through, but the mask had always been there. From what I have seen her loyalty is absolute. And it would seem that it goes both ways. Vader breaks her, the Emperor puts her back together. A never-ending cycle. And much to Lord Vader's anger, she is the Emperor's clear favorite."

Weiss was at loss for words, so instead, she looked around the room some more. Clothes were everywhere on the ground, as were parts of the armor Yang would usually wear. Bulky and heavy armor pieces, so unfit for the Yang Weiss remembered from Beacon. Her friend had always been a brawler. Hit fast and hit hard. This armor was completely hindering that. Another lie? Or did the armor serve another purpose? Like the mask, to hide who she is...

Then she looked some more until she spotted two things that looked eerily familiar. A framed photo on a side table and a golden bracelet next to it. Weiss knew both items. She had her own copy of that photo. The one they had taken of their team, briefly before the Vytal festival and the imperial invasion. It was the last picture that would show all four members of their team…

"So she has kept it, even though she claimed that Yang Xiao Long is gone," Weiss muttered.

Then her eyes found the bracelet. Ember Celica. At least one half of it. The other one is now in Ruby's possession. A memento of the sibling she had lost. Weiss wondered how Ruby would react to finding out that Yang is not just alive, but one of their worst enemies now. It wouldn't end well, that's for sure.

"Found it," Melanie exclaimed triumphantly.

Weiss wondered what the woman was talking about until she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

" _We can only assume that Summer was lost during her last encounter with the Grimm queen," Professor Ozpin said calmly. "A necessary sacrifice and a much-needed setback for our enemies."_

" _Necessary? Are you insane, Oz?" an angry man replied. "Summer was my friend, my teammate and you just threw her to the wolves."_

" _We cannot allow Salem any victories. Sacrifices have to be made, as you should know by now, Qrow."_

" _You're not the one who has to go home and tell his nieces that their mom is not coming back. Damn you, Oz."_

" _I will need you to stay out in the field for a little longer. The latest batch of Huntsmen from Beacon was sadly not up to the challenge and suffered heavy losses. We have already lost six villages this month alone, do not allow this to continue."_

" _This is a losing battle and you know it," Qrow replied, "Damn you, I will see what I can do."_

Weiss was stunned by this. Was this really the same Professor Ozpin she had known? The man who seemed to actually care about his students, who tried his best to have them prepared for the difficult life they had chosen…

"This was supposedly the last straw for our lady. The men talking are Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy and Qrow Branwen, Lady Draconis uncle. Imperial Intelligence has stumbled across this conversation while they infiltrated the communications network on Remnant. Either someone wasn't aware that all conversations are being stored or they needed them for other purposes. Fact is, we have recovered thousands of conversations like this one. All of them are painting the same ugly picture."

"We were losing the fight against the Grimm," Weiss muttered in shock. "They always told us that the Huntsmen make a difference. That we are actually pushing the enemy back and keep our people safe."

"A lie," Melanie quickly concluded, "Imperial Intelligence had watched the planet for nearly a year before they recruited our lady. In that time alone the borders of Haven's controlled areas were pushed back by nearly ten percent. All you Huntsmen and Huntresses, just cannon fodder until they could find a way to put an end to the Grimm. But judging by the data, there would have been no one left to fight by the turn of the century. The Empire's invasion was more salvation than damnation in the end."

Was that why Yang had joined them? To save Remnant from the Grimm? It would make sense, but still… Yang wasn't just an imperial agent. She was a Sith. A very dangerous and without a doubt evil being with untold powers and no qualms to use them in any way necessary. There had to be more…

"Come here, I have more for you to see. Lady Draconis has prepared these files to convince her sister, should the day ever come that Ruby Rose gets captured by the Empire. But you will also find them… enlightening."

It would help her understand Yang, at least Weiss hoped that it would. But change her mind about the Empire and the Sith? Hardly. Still, she had to know more. The reason for Yang's change had to be hidden in this data and she would find it.

* * *

Ruby's eyes were wide, as she looked around the rebel base in wonderment. Yavin 4, a jungle moon close to a gas giant was the home to the most amazing rebel base she had seen so far. On Alderaan, they only had some small rebel cells as far as she had known. Nothing this organized and certainly not a full-blown military presence. But this base was filled to the brim with fighters and bombers. Not to mention all the men and women who had devoted their lives to defeating the evil Empire.

The moment they had landed, the entire base had erupted into a frantic preparation for the inevitable imperial assault. The Deathstar would be here soon and when that happens, they were either ready to fight or ready to die.

Still, despite the gravity of the situation, she had almost laughed when the rebel leader had nearly wept in joy at the sight of the old Jedi Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi was more to rebels than just a single Jedi. He was a symbol of what had once been, of what would be again if they could succeed. Seeing their joy and Obi-Wan's obvious discomfort, though, was a very funny thing to see.

Luke and Princess Leia had left as well. Just like Captain Solo, who had left to find someone who would pay him. This left her alone with Chewbacca. Not the worst company. But the Wookie was only busying himself with repairs on the Millenium Falcon and she had no way to speak to him even if he wanted to. And watching him work got boring rather quickly.

Luckily Luke returned before she would die of boredom, though much to her surprise he was now dressed in the same suit as the other rebel pilots.

"Where are you going?" she asked Luke, as he was about to follow some rebel pilot he had greeted before.

"They have the ships, but not enough pilots," Luke replied. "I am going to do my part and help."

Ruby frowned. Somehow this didn't add up, "Do you even know how to fly one of these fighters?"

"I will be alright. These X-Wings are from the same guys who built the T-16 I used to fly on Tatooine. The basic controls are hardly different."

"That doesn't make you a trained pilot, though," Ruby replied. She was worried about her new friend. Going up against the Deathstar would be very dangerous and she had no way to help him up there. She really didn't want to lose him anytime soon…

"I'm fine. Trust me," Luke assured her. He was so confident that she couldn't help but trust him on this. At least she had the hope that he would succeed. The alternative was… "But there is one thing."

"Huh? What is it?" She wondered what he wanted to say now.

He removed his Lightsaber from his belt and handed it to her. "For safekeeping. It won't do me any good up there, but maybe you can train a bit until I'm back." He smiled encouragingly at her, as she took his weapon.

She gave him a bright smile in return. It was a nice gesture from him, one that she appreciated greatly. It didn't banish the damn feeling of uselessness, though. Luke would fight. Almost everyone would fight. Even Obi-Wan had been included in their planning and commanding of the operation. And all she could do was sit around and wait for victory or death. She hated it.

"I try not to lose it. But you better come back, Luke. I've lost enough friends to Empire. Not one more, you hear me!"

"I do my best and..." he stopped when Ruby suddenly hugged him tightly. He looked surprised at how strong she really was, despite her small stature.

"I mean it. Don't die, Luke."

"I'll be back before you know it," he assured her before he pushed her away and hurried away to his ship.

Ruby could only watch, as he climbed into the cockpit of an X-Wing and left with the others. She really had to put piloting lessons on her schedule… She didn't like feeling useless and she would never feel like this again if she could help it. She had been unable to save her sister, but now she was learning to become a Jedi. And if it meant that she would be able to protect her friends better, then she would become a pilot as well.

But first, she would go and look for Master Obi-Wan. Maybe he would have something she could do in the meantime…

Yet she stopped her tracks when she felt something. A ripple in the Force? She wondered what it was. It was almost as if someone was calling out to her… but who? It wasn't her master. It wasn't Luke either. And it certainly didn't feel like Draconis and Vader. No, it was something different. Something far more intriguing. And before she knew it, her feet had already carried her away from the rebel base and into the thick jungle of Yavin 4...

* * *

 **A/N: That's all for now.**

 **I know, not much has happened this chapter. There will be more action in the coming chapters when we move past the events of A New Hope.**

 **So one thing about Yang at this point. She isn't supposed to be some run of the mill turncoat, like the main character of EA's PR nightmare. She is devoted to the Empire and the Emperor. The reasons for that will be clearer later on, let's just say she isn't a Sith apprentice for the cool looks alone.**

 **And Ruby isn't dumb or anything. She has seen Draconis, heard Draconis and she has seen the glaring similarities to Yang. So why has she not realized that it was her sister? Because Ruby believes that Yang is dead and she expects the worst from the Sith. So she didn't even consider the chance that Draconis might be Yang.**

 **And yes, Ruby will get herself a Lightsaber. The technical parts will be easy for her to get, but the Crystal, now that will be an adventure...**

 **Lastly, to make one thing clear, I skipped those scenes on the Deathstar that would have happened nearly exactly the same as they had in the movie. There are only so many ways to escape the trash compactor. So instead of bloating the wordcount with retelling events that everyone has seen more than enough, I skipped those and concentrated on things happening to the remnants of Team RWBY.**

 **So far we have only seen events from the eyes of Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. I will add other POVs. Likely Luke, Leia, and Han.**

 **Okay, next week we will see Ruby exploring the ancient past of Yavin 4, and Weiss getting more involved with Yang's subordinates.**


	6. Ancient Shadow

Ruby was sure she had made a mistake. A very grave mistake. She wasn't even sure why she had left the rebel base and wandered into the untamed wilderness of Yavin 4's jungle. It was too warm for her taste and the humidity of the air was quite annoying.

The large trees with their high canopies were full of life, as many different animals could be seen climbing up the trees and sitting on the thick branches. It would have been quite interesting to explore such an untamed world, but in the end, Ruby only felt dreadful. Here she was, fooling around, doing nothing, while everyone else was fighting for their lives...

She wondered how Luke was doing. Had the battle already started? Was he fighting right now? Or was he… was he dead? No, she mustn't think like that. She forced those ideas out of her mind. Luke would succeed and he would be back. The rebels know what they are doing. They will destroy the Deathstar… and if not, she won't have much time to mourn…

"Darn, what is it with all those dark thoughts today?" she muttered dejectedly. "Come on, Ruby, pull yourself together."

She looked around, in an attempt to remember where she had come from. But all she could see was endless green and brown. No matter where she looked, the jungle was there and mocked her with countless identical trees.

"Master Obi-Wan will be so angry with me..."

She continued her march, though she wasn't sure in which direction she was going. She just walked and hoped to find a place from where she could climb to a higher position. A mountain would be good. Or another one of those temples.

The old temple the rebels use as their base was tall enough to rise above the jungle. If she could find another one of those, she might be able to find out where the rebels are. Or she would have a front row seat to the end of this world…

Another one of the dark thoughts…

It could be worse, she thought. Had she stayed at the temple, all her thoughts would have focused on one person. Draconis. The Sith who has dared to mock her by imitating her sister. Even now she gets angry just thinking about it. Yang had died a hero and this Sith… this monster dares to ridicule that sacrifice. If only she had the power to defeat Draconis. At the moment she was no match for her, but one day that will change. She only wished that there was a quicker way than the one Master Obi-Wan has shown her. The Jedi way, the safe way… the slow way. Sometimes she's afraid that they would sooner run out of time than defeating the Sith.

"Ouch! Who is throwing rocks here?" Ruby exclaimed angrily, as several small pebbles hit her back. A larger one narrowly missed her head, as she looked around.

The culprits were quickly found. A group of ape-like creatures was sitting on a nearby tree. More than a dozen of them were the looking down on her with animalistic curiosity. Then they threw more rocks. It took all of Ruby's speed and reflexes to avoid getting hit again. The little creatures seemed to have the time of their lives, though.

"Cut it out, will ya!" she yelled at the creatures. She got some growls and cries in return but wasn't sure whether they were just mocking her or whether this was an attempt to communicate.

Then there was another growl. Not from the high branches where the apes were sitting, but from somewhere far lower.

"What now?" Ruby groaned.

A rodent jumped towards her, it's mouth wide open and sharp teeth showing. Her first reflex was to grab her weapon, but where Crescent Rose usually waited for her, she found nothing. She had almost forgotten that the Sith had destroyed her beloved baby.

She could only jump to the side, to avoid the attack. But the rodent was quick and followed her.

Ruby frantically searched for a weapon… before she realized that she still had Luke's Lightsaber hanging on her belt. She grabbed the Jedi weapon and ignited it. For a moment she looked at the bright blue blade in reverent awe, before she remembered the dangerous animal that was about to eat her. One swift strike later, one rodent had turned into two singed rodent halves.

"Wow… I really need to get my own Lightsaber. This is so amazing," she said, as she looked at the weapon with wide eyes. "I wonder if Master Obi-Wan knows where to get more of these."

But her pondering was cut short when she heard more growls and hissing above her. The ape-like creatures had made a ruckus, before they fled the scene, leaving her alone with whatever had come to attack her now.

She looked up and groaned in annoyance. "More of them? Really? This is so not my day..."

Above her, she could see a large number of the violent rodents, all of them seem angry with her for killing one of their own. Well, she surely wouldn't apologize to a group of overgrown rats… But staying wasn't the best choice either. So she fled, as quickly as her feet could carry her.

The rodents, much to her shock, were initially able to keep up with her. Jumping from tree to tree, they hunted her as if she was the meal of the day. Angry and dangerous, Ruby could only wonder how many more would come should she try to kill this group.

No, running was better. These weren't mindless Grimm. Surely they would get bored, or tired, or annoyed. They would stop hunting her and she wouldn't have to kill any more animals today. At least she hoped that this would be the case.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi watched the screens in the rebel command center with a worried frown. The pitiful rebel attack force was dwarfed by the gigantic imperial battle station, which had arrived in orbit around the gas giant Yavin. A small group of fighters and bombers, against such a dangerous enemy… not even the most foolhardy Jedi would have taken these odds.

"Something is wrong," Princess Leia muttered. The young woman stood next to him, her eyes never straying from the screen, as she frowned. "We have seen what this station can do. We have seen how many soldiers they have, so why are there so few TIE fighters? Is this a trap?"

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan mused. "But it would seem that the enemy commander does not take our attack seriously. For now, at least." He had seen similar strategies in the Clone Wars. Commanders who were so assured in their superiority, in their invincibility, that they wouldn't dare to consider the possibility of defeat. To his regret, many of those inept commanders had been Jedi...

"Then we must strike quickly, before they catch on to what we have planned," Leia replied.

He nodded. This would be their only chance to destroy the Empire's superweapon. If this attack fails, they would get rid of this fatal flaw. And then the whole galaxy would tremble in fear. Dozens of worlds would fall, just to force the rebels to surrender. Alderaan would have only been the beginning of an endless chain of death and agony.

"Trust in the Force, Luke," the old Jedi muttered, "Let it guide you."

The boy was gifted with the Force. Both in power and control. He just didn't know how to use it yet. He would learn. Luke would grow to become the Jedi the Order would have ever failed to produce. In his years of silent vigil on Tatooine, Obi-Wan had had enough time to ponder the failings of the old Order and he had realized that the Empire had only hastened their demise...

But now they had a chance to a new beginning. Luke would succeed where they have failed. And he wouldn't be alone. Not even Master Yoda could have foreseen this. But Luke wouldn't have to shoulder the burden alone. For good or worse, he would have Ruby with him.

Ruby Rose, the strange girl with her wild connection to the Force. She was everything Luke was not, both in a good and a bad sense…

"We have lost nearly all of the Y-Wing bombers," one of the rebel officers nearby yelled in panic, "All X-Wing, move to attack the station."

The future seemed bleak… but he would trust in the Force. This wouldn't be the end for them. Luke and Ruby had a different destiny, he was sure of it. This moon wouldn't be their grave.

Which reminded him, where had Ruby wandered off to? He hadn't seen her since they had landed on this moon. He could only hope that she hadn't found herself in some sort of trouble. The moon did have a very dark presence in the Force. With her uncontrollable connection to the Force, she was in danger of following to the lure of the darkness. He wasn't sure whether or not she would fall, but she would always be torn between the sweet promises of the Dark and the radiant warmth of the Light.

Her connection to Vader's new apprentice was also disconcerting. At first, he had considered Draconis words to be a lie. But after Ruby had talked more about her sister, it was clear that the Sith apprentice had said the truth. His new Padawan and Vader's apprentice are sisters… Both of his apprentices would have to surpass their families to become the Jedi the galaxy needs them to be.

"What is Luke doing? He deactivated his target computer!" Leia exclaimed in shock.

Luke was their last hope now. All other pilots had either missed or died in the attempt. Should he fail, the rebellion would fall within minutes…

"Trust in him as he trusts in the Force. He will not fail," Obi-Wan assured her.

"Easy for you to say, Jedi, but the boy is our last chance to cheat death today," General Dodonna replied angrily. "We cannot allow any mistakes."

"Trust him, general. He will not fail," Obi-Wan replied.

The general didn't like this answer. He didn't say anything more to him, but Obi-Wan could see that the tactician was not happy with him. But Luke would prove them all wrong. He would succeed…

The screens lit up as Luke fired his shot. Seconds passed by, agonizingly slow, as everyone in the room waited with baited breath for the outcome. Hit or miss? Then the Deathstar exploded, annihilated by one single shot.

A few more moments of stunned disbelief followed before the rebels realized what had happened. The Deathstar, the Empire's latest horror, was no more. People cheered and laughed. Elated by their survival against all odds. Some even cried tears of relief. Obi-Wan just watched the scene, pleased with the outcome and the success of his student.

"He did it. The crazy farm boy actually did it," General Dodonna exclaimed, an elated smile on his face.

"Yes, he did it. He had trust in the Force," Obi-Wan said. "Now if you excuse me, I still have another apprentice to look out for."

Luke would be alright. He would be back at the base in no time and then they would leave Yavin 4 behind. The training of his students did not allow for any more delays. But he still had to find Ruby. He had a bad feeling that something horrible was about to happen.

His suspicion was proven correct when he suddenly felt a dark tremor in the Force. There was something on this moon. Something dark and dangerous. And somehow he already knew that Ruby was currently face to face with this threat…

"These children will be the death of me," he muttered. His new students are worse than Anakin had ever been…

* * *

Ruby breathed a relieved sigh, as she had finally escaped the rabid rodents. She had run for quite some time before the beasts had decided to call it quits. She felt a bit winded after running for so long, but it was better than just slashing through everything this jungle would throw at her.

But now she was even more lost than before. She had absolutely no idea where she was…

At least the view was nice.

She had reached the shore of a dark blue lake. The water was sparkling in the sunlight and the wind was blowing softly. It was almost serene here. But there was one thing that stood out.

In the middle of the lake, on a small island, stood another temple. One that looked completely different from the others. It was completely black as if it had been carved from one solid black stone and unlike the other temple, this one didn't look damaged… And there was a statue, sitting on top of the temple. A dark and menacing looking man.

Her mind was screaming at her to move away from that temple, but for some inexplicable reason, she felt drawn to it. There was a feeling of belonging, one that she couldn't really describe with words. She had to get closer, to find out what this strange feeling was.

But how to cross the lake?

She looked around until she found a way. Stepping stones, likely created by the same people who had built the temple. But they were slightly below the surface of the water and they looked really slippery.

"Oh well, guess that's the only way to cross the lake..."

She jumped onto the first stepping stone, the water splashing around her as she hit it. Cold water began to seep into her shoes, causing her to shudder slightly. But she forced herself to continue. Step by step, until she had reached the other side. She was careful not to fall into the water, though. Somehow she expected some great beast to swallow her whole, should she hit anything but the stepping stones.

There was a small courtyard before the temple. And by the looks of it, she wasn't the first to arrive here. Someone had set up a makeshift camp in the courtyard, complete with a small speeder bike. She wondered who else would be interested in this temple. A rebel scout, maybe?

Slowly she approached the camp, ignoring the wet sounds of her boots. There was no one here, for now at least. But by the looks of it, the camp hadn't been abandoned for long. Whoever this other explorer might be, he or she wasn't far away. Inside the temple, most likely.

She ventured on, into the temple itself. The smooth black stone shone like polished glass, smooth and without a single blemish. How could this be? The temple the rebels have occupied was in a much worse condition. It was almost as if this temple had been built only years before, whereas the other temple looked millennia old.

"Hello?" someone from inside the temple called out.

"I'm here, at the entrance," Ruby called back. Almost the moment she had said this, she felt foolish for giving away her position this easily. What if this was some imperial scout or a smuggler? Then again, why would any of them give away their position?

A small man appeared. An alien Ruby had never seen before, smaller than her with features that reminded her somewhat of an ape. Her eyes quickly found the blaster on his belt, but otherwise, he didn't look like a soldier or scout. No, he looked more like Professor Oobleck on one of his field trips, only minus the coffee and hat.

"Oh, are you from the base? Do they want me to return already?" the small alien asked her curiously. "I've found so much here, so many secrets and wonders. I know that we don't have the time to explore everything, but maybe in the future, we can come back and finish our work and… Wait. You're not from the base, are you?"

"Well… I come from the temple base, if that's what you mean," Ruby answered, not sure what else she could say.

The little alien, who had tensed up only moments ago allowed himself a relieved laugh. "Oh, good. I already feared that the Empire has found us and that you might be one of their contracted scouts."

"Nope. I'm just about the opposite of those Imperials. I am a Jedi… well, I'm learning to become one, someday," she laughed awkwardly. She should really stop telling everyone that she tries to become a Jedi. One day she would tell the wrong person and boom, she's dead.

"Jedi?" the alien asked curiously. "That's wonderful. I am so glad to make your acquaintance. The name is Dr'uun Unnh, naturalist, and prospector in the service of the Alliance."

"I'm Ruby Rose. I just arrived on this moon some hours ago. At least I think that it may have been hours. Can't really tell with the trees and that giant ball of gas."

"Yes, yes. Tracking time isn't as easy on this moon," Dr'uun agreed. "So why has the general sent you to me? Want to help me with the examination of this temple?"

"Not exactly. I just took a stroll through the jungle, so I wouldn't be in the way while everyone else was busy fighting."

"Fighting?" Dr'uun asked, clearly alarmed. "Has the Empire found us?"

"They have," Ruby nodded, "There is this huge battle station in the orbit of the gas giant and all the pilots have left to fight it."

"Oh no," Dr'uun exclaimed, "I have to get back. I promised the general that I would return. Surely they have tried to contact me. No, no, no. The general will be quite mad at me."

He ran past Ruby and out of the temple. She followed him, curious what he might do next. The small alien was quite the conundrum and Ruby wondered why he was so worried about returning to base late. He didn't look like much a fighter. Certainly not a pilot.

"Where is it? Where is it?" Dr'uun was searching for something. He created quite the mess at his campsite, but eventually, he found what he was looking for. "Aha." He held a small communicator in his hands. "Oh, no. They tried to contact me. I'm sorry, Ruby. But I have to return to base immediately. I can't delay."

"Wait..." It was too late. With speed that belied his plump little form, the alien had mounted his speeder bike and left the temple, leaving her behind alone. "Ah shit. There goes my chance to get back to base with him… Well, at least he can tell the others where I am. Better stay put."

Waiting to be rescued. A great start to her journey as a Jedi…

Oh, well. If she has to stay here, at least she had some time to explore the temple. She could still feel that strange pull. It was coming from the center of the temple. So she did what she had to, she went back inside, following the dark tunnel into the chambers beneath.

It was dark. Too dark to see much and she didn't have a flashlight or anything of the sort. She had to improvise, so she took the Lightsaber and turned it on. The blue light of the blade barely helped to lighten her path, but it was better than nothing. The black stone seemed to soak up all the light, allowing only a dim reflection to remain on its surface, giving the walls around her an oppressive and gloomy appearance.

She ventured into several smaller chambers. But they were all empty. There were writings on the wall. Old hieroglyphs and some strange gems that stood out as the only things that didn't look as if they had been polished to the point of perfection. She had absolutely no idea what any of this stuff meant, though.

Just who had built this place?

Then she happened upon the main chamber. Deep down, surely beneath the water of the lake. A large chamber, the walls even more decorated than in the other rooms. But that wasn't the most peculiar thing. No, what caught her eye was the object at the center of the room. A large sarcophagus.

She approached it and placed her hand on it. It felt… oddly warm. And soft. Not like a stone should. And she was sure that this had to be the source of the strange feeling she had. Yes. Whatever it was, it had called out to her. Called her here. But why?

"Who dares to delve into my tomb?" a deep menacing voice rumbled. Ruby was taken aback for a moment and stepped away from the sarcophagus. Was there something inside? Something her presence had awakened?

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Ruby yelled in defiance. She held the Lightsaber in front of herself, both as a light source and for protection. Yet she wasn't even sure what she was protecting herself from.

A dim blue light escaped from the sarcophagus. Small at first, it grew to the size and form of a grown man. He was clad in strange robes and the very long hilt of a Lightsaber was clutched in one hand.

"A Force ghost? But how? And who?" Ruby wondered, her eyes wide. Was this the same ghost she had seen on Alderaan? She tried to remember but shook her head then. No, it wasn't the same. But he was… similar.

"A Jedi," the ghost muttered, "No, not yet. A Padawan. But what strength. What presence in the Force. You must be their prized student at the temple."

"There is no temple. Not anymore. The Empire has taken everything and the Jedi are few and scattered," Ruby said. The ghost did look like some sort of ancient Jedi. Maybe he would have some wisdom to share. Or at least some interesting story to pass the time.

"They have fallen? How curious," the ghost replied.

"Yes. The Sith rule the galaxy now. But we are fighting back, we will defeat them and restore order," Ruby said, her voice filled with determination. "We just… need some help on the way, though."

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Ironic," the ghost muttered. "The Jedi in my time were drunk on their power. Their victory over the Sith had blinded them to the truth. In the long run, it was their undoing."

"You've been a Jedi?"

The ghost nodded, "At one point, yes. But my path leads me away from them, to study the Force away from their zealous ideology. One mustn't allow the fear of others to limit your own growth."

"I really, really want to get stronger. I need more power, so I can face the Sith, but right now I am too weak. Is there a way to learn what you have learned?" she asked. She didn't know why, but there was a presence to this ghost, a feeling of belonging, of familiarity. Could she trust him? She didn't know that. But she did not that she wants to trust this ghost. He had been a Jedi, after all. One who had managed to walk away from the corruption others had fallen to. Or so he had claimed...

"There is. But all knowledge comes at a prize," the ghost replied. Had there been more light she might have seen the predatory smirk on the ghosts pale lips, but she hadn't. And by the time she would realize what was going on, it would be too late.

"What prize?" she wondered. She was willing to do much and to sacrifice even more, if only it meant that she could protect her loved ones and free her homeworld.

"All you have to do is kneel before me and accept me as your true master," the ghost told her.

She hesitated. Why was she supposed to kneel? Master Obi-Wan had never asked her to do that. He asked her to sit down and meditate a lot. To calm herself and improve her control over her connection to the Force. But kneel…

"Why?" she asked.

"In my time the bond of master and apprentice was a holy connection that required the student to submit to the master and follow his every order. It is a show of respect and the willingness to let go of one's own pride in the pursuit of knowledge."

To humble oneself… it made sense… in a strange way. She really wants to do it, but there was still that pesky voice in the back of her mind, telling her to turn around and run. Why did that voice sound like Master Obi-Wan?

"And you can teach me how to defeat the Sith? How to grow strong without countless years of training?" Ruby asked. "I really want to grow stronger, to protect everyone. But I don't want to become like those Sith to do that… I mean..."

"I will teach you everything. There is no downside to knowledge. How you use it is up to you. And all you have to do is kneel," the ghost replied.

It didn't sound that bad. So she knelt. To free the galaxy of the Sith and their Empire, letting go of her pride would be a small price to pay.

"Very good. Now we will begin," the ghost exclaimed triumphantly.

* * *

The bad feeling from before had turned into a growing storm of darkness in the old Jedi's mind. Something had happened to one of his students. It certainly wasn't Luke. The boy was on his way back to the surface after he had destroyed the Deathstar. He was alright, and in no way in danger any longer. That only left his other student.

Ruby was nowhere to be found. No one had seen her at the base, at least not since the pilots had left. It had taken some time to find the responsible officer, but then Obi-Wan had a look at the footage of the rebel surveillance equipment around the temple. There he saw her. Curious Ruby, wandering away from the temple and into the thick jungle of Yavin 4.

He took a moment to calm himself. A deep breath, as he stroked his beard. Ruby was somewhere out there. The moon itself had a powerful presence in the Force. A firmly dark presence. He tried to find Ruby's own presence on the moon. It was unique, untamed and free. Yes, she stood out, even at a place like this. She wasn't as powerful as Luke in the Force, but much deeper rooted in it.

After a few moments of searching, he found her. She wasn't that far away, though much further than anyone else would have managed to get in such a short amount of time. On foot at least. But there was something else. A great darkness, lingering near her, hovering around her.

Vader? He wondered for a moment. But no, Vader had been on the Deathstar, but Obi-Wan was sure that he would have noticed, had Vader landed on the moon. His presence was unmistakable. No, there was another threat here, but not one of the Sith he had encountered so far. That thought was… unsettling.

"Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, to see yet another potential student. Another powerful child that should have been taught long ago. Princess Leia. She looked at him with a worried look that he remembered well. He had seen it often on her mother's face, every time they talked about his former apprentice, Anakin. In hindsight, Obi-Wan felt like a fool that he had never realized that the relationship between his Padawan and the Senator had been more than just a close friendship. But that was a matter for another day.

"Yes, princess?"

"Are you alright? Everyone is happy and celebrating, but you look worried. Is there something we can help you with?"

A kind soul. Just like her mother. "Ruby is missing. She has wandered away from the temple during the battle and now I fear that she is in great danger. Something is lurking here. Something that is preying on an unsuspecting Padawan like Ruby."

"I will notify General Dodonna. We will have the scouts looking for her in a few moments and..."

"I already know where she is. But I have to confess, I dread the confrontation of what she might have found here," Obi-Wan told her. "I will have to take one of the speeder bikes to retrieve my student."

Leia frowned, obviously unhappy with what he had said. "I can't let you leave alone. We don't know whether or not there have been escape pods from the Deathstar. What if the Empire is on this moon? What if Vader is on this moon? Wait a moment, please, I will have an escort ready for you."

"My dear, your soldiers would be no match for Vader I'm afraid."

"No, you can deal with him. But some more eyes on the lookout will keep everyone safe," Leia insisted. She was very stubborn about it, so Obi-Wan complied. He was sure that Vader wasn't here, but he would make sure that none of the princess' troops would get hurt.

But this also meant waiting. Not for long, but he feared that every moment wasted now would lead them closer to a catastrophe. After some very long moments, Leia had returned, followed by half a dozen men and women, all dressed for combat.

He followed the dark presence he had felt, as he leads his group. They traveled quick, thanks to speeder bikes, and Obi-Wan pushed his bike to the breaking point. He could only wonder what kind of trouble Ruby had managed to find, but he would see soon.

Very soon, indeed.

The group arrived at the lake not much later. Obi-Wan frowned deeply, as his eyes found the black temple on the small island. A Sith temple, no doubt about it.

"Just what have you encountered in there, Ruby?" he muttered.

They crossed the lake quickly and arrived at the small camp in the courtyard of the temple.

"Two come with me, the others search the area around the temple. Ruby surely has not built this camp, so there has to be someone else here. Look for anything that might identify this other person," Obi-Wan ordered.

The rebel soldiers followed his orders without fail or complaint. It had surprised him at first, but apparently the name Obi-Wan Kenobi was still spoken with great reverence within the Rebel Alliance. Most of the galaxy had come to despise the Jedi, thanks to the Imperial propaganda, but people like the late Bail Organa had used the Jedi as a symbol of hope. Obi-Wan could only wonder what these people expect from him, now that they have a true Jedi in their midst… False hopes and promises had led the Jedi to their downfall, he wouldn't repeat that mistake…

The rebels had given the old Jedi master a flashlight, as they were using the ones mounted on their rifles. It was still unnaturally dark inside the temple. An insidious feeling of dread and gloom was ever present. This place felt entirely wrong and twisted as if the Force itself had been perverted by its existence.

"Clear," one of the rebels called out to him. His companions had searched the small rooms they encountered, but all of them were empty.

He pressed on, towards the main chamber. The burial chamber, if this was really a Sith temple. But which Sith Lord had been buried here? Obi-Wan had not been aware of this moon existence before and he certainly had not heard about any Sith that in this region of space. How strange… another inconsistency in the Jedi archives? Another system lost because someone had deleted it, long ago? But why?

The moment he set foot in the burial chamber, the dark presence in the Force became almost suffocating. Pure dread filled him, as he stood before the black sarcophagus. Then it disappeared again, becoming little more than a dull ache in the back of his head.

"Master Jedi," one of the soldiers called out to him. As Obi-Wan looked at him, he saw that the soldier had picked something up. A Lightsaber… Luke's Lightsaber. Had he given it to Ruby? But where was she now?

"There is something, no someone at the other end of the room, sir," the other soldier exclaimed. "You there, hands where we can see them!"

Obi-Wan pushed past the soldiers, behind the sarcophagus. Then he saw her. She sat on the ground, in front of an altar, at the far end of the room. Her back was turned towards them, but there was not mistake, this was Ruby.

"Ruby!" he exclaimed loudly. His voice echoed in the room, but Ruby didn't show any reaction.

He approached her, slowly. Something was very wrong about his young student. He stopped some steps behind her, as the dark presence returned.

"Too late, Jedi," Ruby said. Her voice was oddly hoarse. "You've already lost."

"You are not Ruby. Not truly. So who are you?" Obi-Wan demanded to know.

This was bad. Really bad. Something had possessed his student. A foe he had not expected to find on this world.

Ruby stood up from her place and turned towards him. She was still the same woman on the outside, but one thing was different. Her silver eyes had an unnatural yellow glow and the cold smirk on her lips was so utterly wrong. The Ruby he had gotten to know in the past few days wouldn't smirk like that.

"Your apprentice is now mine, Jedi. With her, I will shake the foundations of the galaxy once more. Everyone will fear Exar Kun, Dark Lord of the Sith once more!"

Then Ruby summoned something to her. A long hilt, that had rested on the altar. An old Lightsaber. One of the most dangerous kind. Two red blades ignited at either end of the Lightsaber, as the room was filled with the dark red glow of a Sith weapon.

"Sith!" one of the soldiers exclaimed. Both rebels opened fire immediately but to no avail. With the grace and skill of an experienced duelist, Ruby blocked the shots and moved to attack.

Old memories, of the worst kind, came back to Obi-Wan, as he looked at her weapon. The first time he had faced a Sith with such a blade, his master had been killed. Now his own student was on the verge of falling to the dark side, with such a blade in hand.

She attacked him, swift and precise. Yet he managed to block her. She had the knowledge of that Sith Lord, but her body was not yet used to the tricks and movements. It obviously frustrated the spirit that had taken over Ruby's body, as it sneered at him.

"You cannot win, Sith. Release my student at once," Obi-Wan ordered firmly.

The Sith laughed loudly. "An old man like you will pose no threat to me. You Jedi all have the same damn weakness." the Sith threw his Lightsaber at Obi-Wan, but too late the Jedi realized that he had not even been the intended target. As he deflected the blade, it cut into the roof of the room, causing it to cave in.

It took all of Obi-Wan's concentration and power to keep the heavy stones from crashing down onto the rebels. Time the Sith used to his advantage. With all of Ruby's speed, the Sith fled the tomb, to fight another day, once he had full control over his new host.

"Go, after her!" Obi-Wan ordered.

The two rebels followed Ruby as quickly as they could. Once they were out, Obi-Wan slowly released his hold on the stones and allowed the room to collapse. Then he ran after them as well. He had to catch up. He had to defeat this Sith before he could overpower Ruby.

But all he found outside were several wounded rebels and six speeder bikes. One was missing. The Sith had escaped with Ruby's body. This would complicate matters immensely...

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So this chapter followed only the events on Yavin 4. The reason for that is simple. Yang is still taking a nap in her bacta tank after her fight with Vader and Weiss is mostly busy with reading the information Yang had prepared for Ruby. Nothing really worth mentioning. They will show up next chapter. But we did get an Obi-Wan POV this time.**

 **Yavin 4 was quite the interesting place, with many locations that had some importance in the Legends canon. The fallen Jedi and Sith Lord Exar Kun played a large role, not just in the past of the Old Republic but also in the Jedi Order of Luke Skywalker. Having him in the story was far too tempting to ignore him. And at least in Legends Exar Kun was mentioned as the man who has invented the double bladed Lightsaber. Guess what toy Ruby will get in the future...**

 **Alright. But at the end I have some bad news as well. This is sadly the only chapter I will be able to write this month. I have to spend some time in the care of my doctors, which will keep me away from almost everything for several weeks. I do hope that everything goes well, so I can get back to writing in early February...**

 **Oh well, hope to see you all again...**


	7. Remnants

**Hi there. I'm back home, in one piece as well. So I will try to get back to a more regular update schedule, but no promises here.**

 **When I had to chose a Sith for Ruby's little dark side adventure, the two top choices had been Exar Kun and Naga Sadow. Both have left a lasting impression on Yavin 4. But in the end I chose Kun for one simple reason. Exar Kun's spirit was still around in the time of the original movies. His spirit had lingered and later possessed several of Luke's students when Luke opened his academy on Yavin 4. In the legends canon, not in the Disney canon. So that is pretty much the only reason why it's Exar Kun and not Naga Sadow. Both are aswesome, so it doesn't matter that much.**

 **Alright, back to the show...**

* * *

She was proud of what she had accomplished. No matter what others might say, or how much the majority of the people she had once known despise her for it, she was proud. Lieutenant Melanie Malachite, adjutant to Lady Draconis. A good position, at least to her. It came with all the authority and power she had ever dreamed of, with the only downside being the duty to mind her less than mentally stable lady.

Melanie was well aware that almost all people she had once known on her homeworld were dead or slaves these days. Bad choices, made by stupid people. She still had the scar on her hip, where Lady Draconis had cut out the slave tracking chip. An ever-present reminder of her deep fall and her salvation.

Compared to the fate she had suffered after the invasion, serving the Empire was a blessing. Even though her military rank was still considerably low. But serving the Emperor's favorite sure made up for that.

' _Serve her without fail, without question!'_

The Emperor's command was the one basic guideline in her life now. And as it turned out, the order wasn't so bad. She and her sister could have done worse. A lot worse. They could have ended up as Lord Vader's servants and that monster's servants rarely live long…

No, serving Draconis was good. And the people she surrounds herself with are easy to get along with as well.

She turned her head to the man on her left. Captain Pallaeon, her lady's dutiful commanding officer. A good captain, but quite the womanizer. Both Melanie and her sister had been at the receiving end of his attempts at charm, and not even their quite vocal refusal seemed to deter the man completely. Strangely enough, only Draconis was safe from the captain's flirtatious advances. But the reason for that may be simply that the man had never seen her real face. Even in her bacta tank, he was only allowed in the room, close enough to speak but too far to see her properly.

"Worry not, Lieutenant, we will arrive at Remnant right on schedule. Your lady should be quite pleased," Palleon told her, as he caught her staring at him.

There was a smile on his face that must have looked quite charming when he had been younger, but as a man in his fifties with a bushy mustache, he looked more like a proud grandfather than a viable partner.

"Good," she replied simply, "I will inform Lady Draconis then."

"Will you also inform her about the Deathstar?"

"Yes. She has to know that this dreadful machine is no more. Hearing about Tarkin's fate should also lift her spirits. Helps her healing and all that."

"I do hope that she will make a swift recovery," the captain told her, "I fear the Emperor would be quite cross with us, should she be unable to make their appointment once we head out for Coruscant."

"She is a quick healer, so don't worry," Melanie replied, "Now if you'd excuse me."

He nodded, which was enough acknowledgment for Melanie to leave without another word. She was overdue to check up on her lady and she knew that Draconis hated being alone more than anything. The last time they had left her alone in a bacta tank, she had started using the Force to mess with her acolytes. Needless to say that most of them ended up in medical care afterward… not to mention the property damage in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant…

The Emperor had been strangely amused by her destructive use of the Force, though everyone else had learned their lesson. Do not leave Lady Draconis unsupervised. These days they made sure that at least one person or droid is present to keep her entertained…

This time it was a droid. Melanie watched with barely concealed amusement, as the mechanical caretaker was floating through the room, singing some old song from Remnant. Melanie couldn't remember the name of the song, but she knew that the last time she had heard it, she was still a little child herself. An old lullaby What an odd choice.

"Melanie," Draconis called out to her. The Lady's voice was slightly muffled by the breathing mask she had to wear. The mask was custom made for the lady, who wouldn't accept the normal masks. With the amount of time she spends in those tanks, Draconis just couldn't use a mask that didn't allow her to speak properly. And the monstrosity of a mask also hid most of her face, which was an added bonus.

"My lady," Melanie said, as she bowed lightly. She knew that her lady didn't require her to do so when they are in private, but she did it regardless, much to Draconis annoyance. "We shall arrive at Remnant in about an hour. Governor Ironwood is expecting you."

"And I've just gotten comfortable in my tank. Sucks to be him, he will have to make due without me," Draconis replied, followed by a chuckle. "Damn, I shouldn't laugh. Don't make me laugh, Melanie, my ribs are still not fully healed yet."

"As you say. I will conduct the meeting in your stead then," Melanie confirmed.

"How's Weiss doing?"

"As well as can be expected," Melanie replied. "She is reading the provided data, though I doubt that it will convince her. She is fully committed to the rebellion. Recruiting her does appear to be a fruitless endeavor."

Not to mention that Melanie seriously considered the Schnee heiress a high risk for her lady. No one could tell how the former members of Team RWBY would react to their not so dead Sith friend. Most of the time, Weiss Schnee had acted with well-rehearsed indifference. She was hard to read and judging by her recent affiliation, Melanie expected a betrayal soon. She had already taken all precautions for that, even without her lady's knowledge. This was also part of her orders from the Emperor, after all.

"She will join," Draconis replied with utmost conviction. "Not because she suddenly loves the Empire, but for my sake. And she's still Atlesian, she doesn't crave democracy but order and peace. She will see reason."

"If you say so, my lady," Melanie replied. "On other matters, I have good news and bad news for you."

"Well, I felt a tremor in the Force. So which planet has Tarkin destroyed now? Corellia? Carida? Coruscant? Please tell me it has been a desert planet. I hate sand… Lord Bucket complains about it all the time..."

Melanie chuckled as she heard the underlying sarcasm in her lady's voice. It would seem that Lady Draconis was in a far better mood after some time I the tank.

"Neither. In fact, the Deathstar has been destroyed," Melanie told her.

"Really?" the Sith's disbelief couldn't be hidden completely. "That's what you get when you invest all your time and other people's resources in an oversized toy. Fucking idiots… Oh well, so what are the bad news?"

"Sadly Grand Moff Tarkin has perished with the station. Someone has stolen your kill," Melanie told her in a mock sad voice.

"Damn… Now I have to punish some other idiot for stealing the resources for my new fleet," Draconis replied. "Guess I discuss the matter with gramps."

"The Emperor will surely consider your… wishes," Melanie replied, more careful with the words she chose. One could never be sure who was listening in. Celebrating a Grand Moff's death was one thing, but no one, except maybe Draconis, would be allowed to utter the Emperor's name with anything but respect without fearing the consequences.

* * *

They have shot at her. The rebels have tried to kill her… Why? And why was Master Obi-Wan with them? Why didn't he stop them? None of this made any sense. And thinking about it made her head hurt...

Ruby wasn't sure why, but somehow her perception of the world around her had changed drastically. The rebels, men, and women she had considered allies before, now seemed far less trustworthy. In fact, she was sure that she should better get away from Yavin 4 and the rebels. Master Exar Kun would surely know a place for her to hide and plan her next step.

Sadly there was only one place from where she would have a chance to escape. The rebel base… Shit.

She had barely made her escape from her new Master's temple and now she had to return to a place crawling with even more enemies. Why is it always her? No good luck, not even once… Uncle Qrow's bad luck must be contagious.

None the less, she had to leave the moon. Quickly.

Getting back to the rebel base was, thankfully, very easy. The speeder bike she had taken from the rebels was very fast and had the fastest course back to the great temple programmed into its database. So getting back was not an issue.

Still, she had to leave the bike behind and walk the last bit on foot. She couldn't be sure whether or not the rebels that had attacked her had alerted the base. Better be safe than sorry.

The base was on high alert. But thankfully not because of her. They were in the midst of an emergency evacuation. The fact that the moon had not been destroyed could only mean that the Deathstar was no longer a threat. But the Empire knows that they are here, so all have to abandon this base.

Perfect.

Her red hood drawn deep into her face, she hurried towards one of the smaller transports. No one paid her any attention.

For a moment she stopped when she saw two familiar faces in a nearby crowd. Luke and Captain Solo. Both were listening to something an officer had to say. There was a large crowd of other pilots around them as well.

She hesitated longer than she should have. Luke was still a friend, right? Or was he one of her enemies? It was hard to tell when he is wearing the uniform of a rebel pilot… But she wants to trust him. Explain what has happened. Maybe he would come with her… But he was surrounded by enemies. Maybe he was one of them as well.

' _Hurry now,'_ her master's voice echoed in her mind.

' _But what if they find me on a ship? They will just turn around and bring me back or...'_

Her thoughts were a frantic mess at the moment, as she tore her eyes away from Luke and continued on her way to the transports.

' _We don't need a pilot. Let me take care of everything,'_ Exar Kun told her. His voice was comforting, calming even. She nodded, not that he would have been able to see it. He was in her head after all. Or somewhere, anywhere else. Near her, at least. She wasn't exactly sure how that whole Force ghost possession deal really works.

She found one of the smaller ships. An old and beaten U-Wing starfighter. The ship did look well enough to fly, but it was obviously in no shape to fight. Still, it would suit her needs. Ruby remembered this fighter type well. She had left Remnant in the bowels of one of those, after all.

Only one person was in the transport as she stepped inside. One lone pilot sat in the cockpit, doing his final checkup before launch. He hadn't even noticed her at first, only when she got closer.

"What is it now?" the pilot asked in a gruff voice. "I'm nearly done with everything here, we can leave soon. Or do they need me for something?"

"Uhm… yeah. The deck officer has called all pilots for a last minute briefing. I was told to make sure that all are present," Ruby lied quickly. She could only hope that the pilot would believe her. She had never been a convincing liar in the past, but this had to work.

"Damn that man. How many more of his moronic speeches," the pilot cursed before he jumped out of his seat and stormed off.

Ruby let out a relieved sigh, as she checked once more that she was alone on the ship. Once she was sure, she sat down in the pilot seat and looked at the controls.

' _I will handle things from here on'_

She could feel how her master took control of her body. Like someone holding her hand, guiding her movements, he began working through her.

"Can you even fly this thing? Surely controls have changed in the last few thousand years..." Ruby said as she had to watch her hands move.

' _Silence,'_ her master commanded, _'Some things rarely ever change, be it basic fighter controls or the insolence of young students.'_

"Sorry," Ruby muttered, as the ship started.

She could hear the commotion outside. The unplanned start must have surprised quite a lot of people. But thankfully the chaos of the evacuation hindered the rebels from shooting her down or using any sort of defense to stop her. The lack of fighters in the temple hangar would be helpful as well. They had obviously lost a lot of them during the assault on the Deathstar.

For a moment she even saw Master Obi-Wan, who had just arrived with some of the rebels. He was too late. He wouldn't stop her and the rebels wouldn't murder her. She was free. For the moment at least.

But the question that troubled her the most remained unanswered. Why? Why had the rebels attacked her now? She had been with them for nearly two years, she had been one of them. She had helped to save their princess. Was all of that for naught?

"Don't ponder this too much," her master said, as he appeared in his ghostly form next to her. "Their loyalty is not won through friendship, but through power. In the end, only those with power are followed."

"I… see..." Ruby wasn't convinced. She firmly believed in her friends, even those absent… or dead. "But where are we going now?"

"A place where I can train you properly, without having to fear that you will draw any more Jedi to us," Exar Kun replied. "Only a planet strong in the dark side of the Force will hide you properly."

"The dark side? Isn't that dangerous?"

"No," the ancient ghost replied firmly, "It will do just fine. Ziost will provide everything we need."

* * *

Nothing could have surprised Weiss Schnee more than the sight of the planet outside. She had expected the Star Destroyer to arrive at Coruscant. They had told her that they would bring her directly to the Emperor. They had lied, obviously.

As she looked at the screen that showed the planet outside of the ship, she didn't see Coruscant's never-ending city, but the green and blue planet she knew so well. The planet with its shattered moon. Remnant. Why were they here?

She was in a transport, together with Melanie, Cardin and a squad of Troopers. No one had told her why she was here in the first place. Was this Yang's idea? One last visit to her homeworld before she would have to face the firing squad? In a strange way that would be very… nice of her.

Melanie sat opposite of her, watching her with a stern expression on her face.

"Why exactly are we visiting Remnant?" Weiss asked, to sate her ever-growing curiosity.

Melanie chuckled lightly, "Whoever said we are going to land on the surface?"

"Alsius Station then," Weiss replied.

She knew the station quite well. Her father's company had played a pivotal role in the construction and maintenance of the station, as it was used as the main trading hub for the Remnant system. Every speck of Dust mined and sold legally on the planet moves through the station. And every person coming or going to Remnant has to get registered there as well. The imperial military was the only exception to that. But why were they here now?

"You should know that I was against bringing you on this mission, but my lady insisted. But make no mistake, I have taken every precaution in case you decide to try and play rebel again," Melanie told her icily.

That very moment some of the Troopers also reacted. There wasn't any vocal command needed from the Lieutenant, they just pointed their rifles at her, the finger always on the trigger. The message was clear. One wrong step and she would be gunned down. It made sense, the rebels would treat high profile prisoners the same way. Yet somehow she couldn't bring herself to believe that this was Yang's order. The sudden hostility from the lieutenant was also surprising. So far Melanie had treated her with indifference. But apparently, that treatment was only limited to places where she was under control.

"So why are we going to Alsius?" Weiss asked again.

"To meet with Governor Ironwood," Melanie replied simply before she stood up from her place and moved towards the cockpit.

Weiss was left behind to ponder that answer. Ironwood… another famous traitor, though the former general at least had the decency to wait until the invasion was over to switch sides. Many had hoped that he and his troops would lead the resistance on Remnant. A false hope. Atlas saw the possible gains from joining the Empire and men like Ironwood switched sides faster than anyone could have predicted. Her sister, too, for the matter. Winter had followed her general to the Empire and was rewarded with the rank of a captain and her own ship. A Victory Class Star Destroyer, the centerpiece of Remnant's defense force.

The arrival at the station was no less grand than Weiss would have expected from the former Atlesian military. Soldiers, left and right of the shuttle, standing attention with their shiny armors and dangerous new toys. But they had obviously expected to greet Lady Draconis. They wouldn't have insisted on all the pomp for a mere lieutenant and an acolyte.

The person to greet them was obviously displeased by this. Weiss wasn't very happy to see him either. At the other end of the column of soldiers stood her brother, Whitley Schnee, in all his arrogant glory. The poster boy of Coruscant's high society these days. Weiss could only wonder whether it was her abysmal luck that leads to her meeting him here or why else her brother had been on Remnant, to begin with. The last time she had seen him, he had ensured that everyone on Coruscant knew just how much he despises the backwater world he had been born on.

"Ah, my lovely sister, how good to see you," Whitley greeted her sweetly, "Father will be so pleased to hear that you are still alive. We had already feared that those traitors on Alderaan had been your undoing."

"Whitley," Weiss replied darkly.

"Why such a frosty welcome, sister? Won't you give your brother a hug?" Whitley asked, "No? A pity. You have never been one to care for your family. But let's not linger on that, yes? So, where is this Lady Draconis I've heard so much about."

"Out lady is currently unable to attend this meeting. Important matters require her full attention at the moment," Melanie cut in before Weiss could answer.

"Oh, and you are?" Whitley asked, a look of bored indifference on his face.

"Lieutenant Melanie Malachite, personal adjutant of Lady Draconis," the woman introduced herself.

"Personal adjutant, a very nice way to describe a minder. I have two of those myself," Whitley drawled, "They bore me with their incessant meddling, so I've sent them on an errand to the other end of the galaxy."

Weiss could only roll her eyes and scoff. Of course, he brother would do something this stupid. The people he had sent away weren't his minders, they were his bodyguards. He was still as foolish as ever. Too blind to see that their father had ensured that his precious heirs would be under constant surveillance. Well, some more than others. Somehow she felt cheapened by the fact that the woman her father had sent to spy on her was so inept, she landed herself in a hospital not a week after the start of her assignment. The fact that her father had not replaced her ever since speaks volumes about whom he favors as his heir.

"This is enough, Whitley!"

Seldom before had Weiss been this happy to hear this voice. Winter was here, much to her joy. Her brother, on the other hand, looked as if he had just tried to eat a spoon full of lighting dust.

Winter approached them with the grace of a prowling predator, as she regarded their brother with the most frigid look Weiss had ever seen on her sister's face. Her imperial uniform only made her look that much more intimidating.

"Captain Schnee," Whitley greeted her, his voice just as cold as hers. "The Governor is getting impatient, I presume."

"Governor Ironwood is expecting his guests. He was well aware that Lady Draconis would not be able to meet with him, so there is no problem here. Unless you insist to cause any yourself," Winter told him.

"No need for threats, captain," Whitley replied, "I will take my leave then. I have some more things to take care off before I can transfer over to the ship." Then he turned towards Weiss, "Sister, I will see you on your lady's ship then. We can talk some more on our way to Coruscant."

Weiss wanted to groan as she heard this. Of course, the annoying idiot would be coming with them. All of a sudden she was sure that Yang was punishing her for something. But what? Maybe she had criticized Ruby one too many times. Yang was far too protective of her sister…

But at least she got rid of the boy for the moment.

"It is good to see you alive and well, sister," Winter commented, as she stood before Weiss. "You had me worried sick until Lady Draconis' adjutant informed me of your survival."

Weiss smiled as she heard this. All of her family could die and she wouldn't shed a single tear. All except Winter. Her older sister was the only one who had ever really cared about her and in turn, Weiss had only ever cared about her.

"This way, please. The governor is waiting," Winter said, without waiting for a reply from Weiss.

But as they walked down the well-polished corridors of Alsius Station, Winter made sure to walk beside her sister at all times. It was comforting to have her sister near her again, especially after all those years. She had only ever had one regret after joining the Rebel Alliance, that she would have to fight against her own sister. Winter was too loyal to switch sides. She would stand with Ironwood and Atlas until the very end.

"Why are you here, Weiss?" Winter finally asked as they neared their destination.

It sounded like an innocent enough question, but the tone of Winter's voice revealed that much more. "So you have been aware of my… loyalties."

"To my never-ending regret. I should have used my influence to have you drafted into a military academy, instead, I was content with father's moronic idea of sending you to Alderaan. All that pomp and pretense, just so he could claim that his heir had been trained by a real queen," Winter stopped briefly and shook her head. She sighed, before she continued, "I failed you."

"You did no such thing," Weiss assured her, "I made my own choices… and so did you."

"Yet here we are, on an imperial station with you dressed like one of these strange acolytes no one seems to know much about," Winter replied calmly. "This is Lady Draconis doing, isn't it?"

"I don't know her plans for me, yet," Weiss admitted, "But I know her or at least I believe that I know her well enough so that I can say that she does not mean me harm."

"If this woman gives you a chance at redemption, take it," her sister told her sternly, "This isn't a game and you are far too important to waste yourself on foolish idealism and misdirected passion."

Weiss hesitated for a moment. She was sure that there wouldn't be any redemption for her. Hell, Melanie had admitted that she had confessed under torture. She wasn't sure how much she had revealed to Vader, but she doubted that she would qualify for mercy anytime soon. Maybe a mercy killing, but little else.

"I… I will consider my options carefully. That is all I can offer," she said.

She saw the disappointed frown on Winter's face. Her sister had hoped for a more positive answer. But Weiss couldn't do that. She couldn't lie to her sister and say that she would join the Empire if Yang would give her that chance. Nothing had really changed, she was still fully committed to fighting the injustice of the Empire… now she only knew that she would be fighting one more familiar face.

No more words were exchanged until they reached Governor Ironwood's personal office on the station. It was a large room spacious but sparsely furnished. The picture-perfect definition of atlesian mentality. No room for fancy decorations, only practical things. But there was one thing that made the room stand out. The whole back side of the room was one giant window, allowing a breathtaking view of Remnant outside.

Ironwood himself sat behind his desk, watching them enter with keen eyes. His gaze lingered on her a bit longer than on the others, though his face did little to betray his thoughts.

"Lieutenant Malachite, welcome," he greeted without getting up from his seat.

"Governor Ironwood," Melanie replied subserviently, complete with a small bow, "We thank you for meeting with us on such short notice. Sadly our Lady has been called away to other duties, due to the recent changes in the Empire."

Called away… Weiss almost snorted as she heard this sad excuse. Apparently, the infighting between the two Sith was not meant to be public knowledge. No one was supposed to find out that Yang was recovering in a Bacta tank after nearly getting killed by Vader.

"A pity, really. I would have like to finally meet this woman. No one seems to know much about her except that she exists," the governor replied. "But she does speak with Emperor's authority, so her wish is our command."

"She will be pleased to hear that," Melanie replied cordially, "Your men have been able to procure the crystals we need?"

"Indeed. It took a bit of effort to gather this many of them, but we managed to meet your Lady's request," Ironwood replied. He motioned for one of his aides to step closer. The woman held a large lockbox in her hands, which she promptly deposited on the table, right in front of Melanie.

The lieutenant opened the box with her code cylinder and had a close look at the contents. Weiss stepped forward, curious what all of this was really about. What she saw inside was… unexpected. Melanie pulled out a small red crystal. Dust, clear-cut and by the looks quite potent. When the lieutenant handed the crystal to her, she realized why they were really here.

"Dust Crystals? All of this special visit and the secrecy because of some Crystals?" Cardin exclaimed in annoyance.

Weiss had almost forgotten that the idiot was here as well until he had to open his stupid mouth.

"Those are not normal crystals," Weiss said. "Those are Core Crystals, are they not?"

"Indeed, Ms. Schnee. Your father's company has invested a lot in finding these crystals, but they remain rare," Ironwood said, "All of these crystals left on Remnant are in this box. At the moment, our prospectors doubt that we will find any more of them, unless we dig much deeper, which is inadvisable."

"I don't get it," Cardin muttered.

"Idiot. Just why Ya… Lady Draconis puts up with you I will never understand," Weiss growled darkly. "Have you ever tried putting a normal Dust Crystal in that Lightsaber of yours?"

"Of course not. Those stupid things don't last for long," Cardin shot back.

"Exactly. The Dust Crystals share many similarities with the Crystals the Jedi used for their Lightsabers. But the Dust is brittle and doesn't last long. It is a powerful energy source, but it gets depleted fast. The greatest advantage of Dust is that we can mine it in such great quantities. But these Crystals here, the Core Crystals are different. They are only found in very deep deposits and even there you will only find a hand full of them. The Schnee Dust Company has invested much in analyzing these crystals, but with little success. For some reason, the Core Crystals are not brittle. They last indefinitely… or at least far longer than we have tested so far."

"Exactly. I see now why Lady Draconis has sent you along on this mission, Ms. Schnee," Ironwood said. "Of course, she would send someone who could verify the authenticity of the crystals."

Melanie smiled unapologetically, as she heard the governor's words. And Weiss… she felt stupid for some reason. She should have expected something like this, why else would they send her to Alsius Station of all places. The Empire knew that she had worked with Core Crystals before. She had been chosen to reveal the new find to a council of Admirals and Moffs before the Empire classified everything and forbid all involved ever to talk about it. That was back in the day before she had been shipped to Alderaan.

"We meant no offense, Governor Ironwood, but Lady Draconis had to make sure that the Crystals are genuine. It wouldn't do to present anything less than perfection to the Emperor," Melanie told the man.

Ironwood nodded, his face carefully schooled to show nothing but indifference. But Weiss could only wonder how he really felt about this. Yang had pretty much told him through her actions that she did not trust him. Surely it must have been a blow to the man's pride and plans to know that someone close to the Emperor suspected treachery from him.

"If this is all, we will conclude our meeting here," Ironwood announced, "Lieutenant, Ms. Schnee, it has been a pleasure."

"Likewise, Governor. I will make sure that Lady Draconis hears off your loyal and absolute obedience," Melanie replied. "We will return to our ship then."

"Captain Schnee will escort you back to your shuttle," Ironwood said before he stood up from his desk and disappeared through a side entrance of his office.

But as Melanie and the rest of the group turned to leave, Weiss lingered a moment longer. Her eyes were fixed on the planet outside. Remnant… her homeworld. One day it would be free again.

"Are you alright, sister?" Winter asked her. There was great concern in her sister's eyes, worry that there was more amiss than Weiss was willing to admit.

But the Schnee heiress had too many secrets she couldn't share with her sister. Not as they are now.

"It's nothing… I just feel like this might be the last time I will see Remnant this close," she admitted finally.

And maybe that was true. She had no idea what would await her on Coruscant. For all she knew, they might just execute her, now that her usefulness was gone. This strange meeting, the acquisition of the Core Crystals, all of it made sense now. This was the reason why they had kept her alive this long. And now… now she might die.

* * *

Whitley Schnee walked at a leisurely pace, as he was on the way to his personal shuttle. There was no rush and no excitement to be found on the Star Destroyer that would take him back to Coruscant, so he allowed himself some time to think.

Meeting both of his sisters on the same day had been… troublesome. Winter had been as aloof and cruel to him as always. He was glad that she was bound to Remnant for the foreseeable future, or else he would have seen his hand forced to arrange for an accident to get rid of her. She had never cared much for him. Only herself and Weiss, never him. But he had no need for her.

Weiss, on the other hand, was still somewhat dear to him, if only for the sentimental value of her being the sibling that was actually around during his childhood. But her recent activities have been both traitorous and dangerous to their family's legacy, something that Whitley would have to speak to his father about.

For the moment, though, the scion of the Schnee family could do little more but bide his time. His sisters would be dealt with accordingly. One way or another. They left him with little choice on the matter. Traitors to the family have no place in his future, after all.

One of his guards was sudden shot from behind. The other one followed a moment later, leaving him seemingly alone and at the mercy of whoever had dared to attack him.

He turned around to see this audacious person. There they stood. A dozen of them, all armed and ready. White Fang terrorists, those bloody animals. A group that dares to call the murder of civilians a justified fight for the freedom of their people…

He even recognized their leader, though he had never met her in person. The dark-haired cat Faunus his sister had once called her friend. Blake Belladonna, one of the White Fang's leading members these days. She would make a fine trophy for his return home.

"How very bold to attack me, especially here on this very station," Whitley drawled lazily, as he regarded the woman.

"This ends here, Schnee. You will come with us and..."

"And what? Do you actually believe that you can escape this station, even with me as a hostage? You are even more foolish than I had expected. But what did I expect from a measly animal," he spat. "It's no surprise that the Empire had such an easy time capturing nearly all of your kind."

He could only wonder how their race had survived this long. Stupid and crude, the slave labor in the Dust mines was the only real way to use them. He would never understand why some people in the Empire saw the need to acquire Faunus as pets.

"Don't worry, we have our ways," the woman replied darkly, as she slowly approached him, "With you in our hands, we can save thousands of our brethren from slavery and death."

Whitley laughed as he heard her words. Oh, the fool. She stopped in her tracks when the station around them came to life and dozens of Atlesian Knights came forth from hidden chambers in the walls around them.

"Animals, the whole lot of you. To think that you could beat me, here of all places. I guess I will never understand why my sister holds you in such high regard, Belladonna. But maybe she will tell me when I present you as a gift to our father. We are in dire need of some more cleaning staff, with all the filth Weiss associates with."

The Knights began to close in on the White Fang terrorists and the battle began. Belladonna tried to reach him once more before she had to give up and help her own men in their struggle. Strangely there had been no alert at first, likely some form of sabotage. But as the battle got more heated, more and more soldiers and robots joined the fight, pushing the White Fang back. They wouldn't last long.

As Whitley passed one of the officers who lead the newly arrived soldiers, he stopped briefly, "Please make sure to bring me their leader. Alive if possible. If not, her head will do."

The officer nodded. "As you wish, sir."

Whitley smirked, as he continued on his way to his shuttle. Oh, the perks of being a Schnee. Even without a military rank, people would still obey him. Only the low ranking soldiers and officers for now, but Whitley knew one thing. He would get far in the Empire. He would ensure that the Schnee name would command more fear and respect than any other...

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, that's all for today.**

 **This chapter explained a bit about how the Dust is seen in the Empire and why it is important.**

 **And finally, we have seen the first glimpse of Blake. I've promised she would show up soon and here you have her. But why is she back with the White Fang? The answer is simple. At Beacon, she had watched the Empire take over. She had watched her best friend get cut down by Vader. She had watched humans take over their world. When the human empire started enslaving all Faunus they could find, she willingly rejoined the White Fang, who fight to liberate their people. She may not like Adam all that much anymore, but this time it wasn't him who hurt Yang and they are still under the command of Sienna Khan. In the Empire, the White Fang is quite similar to the group lead by Saw Gerrera.**

 **Okay, next chapter will be more eventful. Ruby starts her new training under Exar Kun, and Weiss' little brother gets to meet a Sith. And the next chapter will show one of the reasons why Yang is loyal to the Empire. So stay tuned for the next chapter, 'Scion'...**


	8. Scion

Ziost… Ruby shuddered in revulsion as she saw the frozen wasteland of the planet for the first time. Unlike plants like Remnant and Alderaan, who were alive and vibrant, Ziost was dead. A cold, dead rock. The unnatural feeling of doom and gloom did little to endear the planet to her either.

But it was the planet her new master had taken her to. The planet where he would train her, to make her strong enough to survive against all her enemies. The Empire, the Sith… the rebels who have betrayed her. Their betrayal stung the most. From one moment to the other, it was as if the purpose of her life had been stolen from her. But she wouldn't allow that to happen. She would still defeat the Sith and free her homeworld. Alone, if need be. She would become a Jedi and defend all those who can't stand up for themselves.

She watched with great apprehension, as her ship slowly landed in a large valley. Half crumbled ruins littered the ground, toppled statues of a civilization long lost were half buried in dirt.

"This whole planet is a tomb..." she muttered.

"It has lost most of its charm," Exar Kun admitted, as he appeared in his ghostly form next to her. "This had once been the center of an Empire that ruled the stars. Long ago, in a different age."

There was a longing in his voice. A longing for the past he had lost. Ruby recognized it instantly, as it was so similar to the longing for Remnant's liberation that Weiss had shown. But Ruby could only wonder what kind of empire this planet had belonged to. Had it been better than the current Empire? Or worse?

"Gather your gear," her master commanded, as the U-Wing had finished it's automated landing. "Your new home is not far from here."

She did as she was told and gathered what she could find in the ship. None of her own belongings were here. Spare clothes, her entire bag, everything was still on Yavin 4. With great dread, she realized that this also included her half of Ember Celica and the photos of Team RWBY. All her memories of her past left behind in the hands of those who would wish her harm.

She couldn't dwell on it for too long. Master Exar Kun would surely get impatient should she tarry for too long and she really didn't want to piss off yet another Jedi master. Deep down she feared that he might be her last chance at ever becoming a Jedi, at ever gaining the strength to free her homeworld and avenge her sister.

The last thing she grabbed before leaving the ship was the hilt of her master's Lightsaber. It was different from Luke's weapon. The hilt was sleeker and adorned with a pattern that reminded her of old runes she had seen in ruins on Remnant. And it had two blades instead of only one. Both shining in a brilliant crimson color once activated. She had always loved this color… but the only other Force users with red blades are Sith… did that mean… no, she shouldn't think such nonsense. The color of the blade means nothing. Only actions determine light or dark, or so she hoped.

"So where are we going?" she wondered, as she stepped out of the ship.

She took a deep breath once outside… and immediately regretted it. The cold air smelled stale and ashen. Almost as if the entire valley had been ravaged by fire long ago and the winds were now stirring the ashen remains of the land.

"Head to the north. That ruin there is the temple," Exar Kun ordered icily before his ghost vanished once more.

"Yeah, yeah. Let me do all the walking," Ruby mumbled, "Wish I could just float around and be awesome all day." She huffed a little before she marched towards the large building her master had pointed out.

* * *

Whitley Schnee was disappointed. The incompetent officers and their inept soldiers had allowed the leader of the White Fang raiding party to escape. They were still in pursuit, which was something at least, but the mere thought that they had allowed her to get away while being surrounded on nearly all sides was maddening. It robbed him of the chance to present his father with a wonderful gift. But no matter, he would find something else that would gain him his father's acknowledgment. And thankfully there was someone else on this very Star Destroyer that his father would want to get under his influence. Weiss.

His sister's disobedience and treason could be a very real threat to their family and their business. Should the Emperor decide that someone else would be more suited to lead the Dust mining operation on Remnant, then the Schnee family would be done for. That mustn't happen. To protect them all, Weiss would have to return home, where their father could keep her on a very short leash.

Whitley wasn't entirely sure why Weiss was on the Star Destroyer of this Sith woman Draconis, but it mattered little to him. It only made things easier for him. Finding her on this ship was done quickly and he had already hatched a plan by the time he had reached her current quarters.

There were guards at her door. Six heavily armed Stormtroopers. It was quite telling to see Weiss being watched this closely. The Empire already knew about her loyalties. This Sith, Draconis knows about her part in the rebellion. That would make his job a tad bit more difficult. But no matter. This was surely nothing a few credits in the right pocket couldn't fix.

To his surprise the soldiers let him pass without as much as an inspection. Their eyes followed him, but they neither spoke nor reacted to his presence in any way. How odd.

His eyes found Weiss immediately upon entering the room. She sat at a desk on the other side of the room, a data pad in her hand. Her hair was undone and she was only loosely dressed in the outer robe of the white clothes she had worn before. As far as Whitley could remember, he had never seen his sister this… casual. He disliked every moment he had to see her like this… this was not what a Schnee should be like, not even in the privacy of one's own rooms.

She looked over her shoulder and saw him at the door. Her blue eyes widened slightly, as she had obviously not expected to see him of all people in her room. But here he was, with her. And neither sibling was overly happy about it.

"What do you want, Whitley?" she asked him, her voice strained, a tired look on her face.

"Can't I visit my favorite sister? We do spend so precious little time together these days," Whitley told her in his mock sweet voice, a false smile forced onto his lips.

"It's not much of a contest when you despise both Winter and me. It's just about who you hate more at the moment."

A valid point. But he did consider her his sister, a kind of regard that he wouldn't even consider affording to Winter. He would only ever admit that she is part of his family when having a high ranking Imperial Officer would be beneficial in any way.

"Then maybe we should skip the empty pleasantries and get down to business," Whitley replied, all pretense of civility gone in an instant. "You have become a threat to our family. A liability."

"So what? Are you here to kill me?" she asked him mockingly, not even bothering to turn around and look at him. She just continued reading. "In a way, I do feel surprised. I would have expected you to be just like our father. Let others do the dirty work. It does suit him well enough. It's a cowards tactic, after all."

Whitley grit his teeth as Weiss dared to insult their father. How far had the girl fallen, ever since she had so foolishly left to attend that blasted academy in Vale? But that was a lifetime ago now and their world had changed so drastically. But so had his sister. She had fallen even further and was now both a traitor to her family and her new lords. Maybe there was no real hope for her after all. Maybe death would be the only befitting end for her. But it wasn't his way of dealing with problems. Too messy. Too… final.

"I am not going to stain my hands with the blood of my sister," he replied coldly.

Weiss chuckled mirthlessly, as she turned around to face him once more. "That already makes you a better man than our father. But let's not waste our time with talks about this man. Why are you really here? What do you want from me?"

"All I want is to ensure the future of our family. We will rise to become the most important business family in the entire galaxy. But none of this can happen as long as you remain a threat to us," he said, "Which is why I will take you back to our family's estate, where you will remain for the remainder of your days and..."

He stopped mid-sentence. Not of his own volition, but he suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Worse, he couldn't breathe, as if an unknown force was chocking the life out of him.

Weiss' eyes were wide in shock as she watched the scene. But she wasn't watching him, her eyes were on another person, one who had entered unseen during their conversation. Weiss had felt her presence as she entered and shuddered...

"You would be well advised to keep your nose out of other people's business, Mr. Schnee, or else I might see the need to remove it. Just as a friendly reminder, of course."

The voice was that of a woman. But distorted like a machine and so dark it sent shivers down his spine. He could barely move his head enough to see the heavily armored figure behind him. Who was she? He had never seen this woman before. Could it be possible that this is the Sith that fool Ironwood had been waiting for?

"Yan… Lady Draconis. Please don't kill my brother, he meant no offense," Weiss pleaded.

It surprised Whitley. His sister was pleading for his life? Why would she do that? Why would the woman who had spat on her family and betrayed them all plead for him? It made no sense. But her words also confirmed his fear. This woman… this was the enigmatic Lady Draconis. One of the Empire's most dangerous enforcers, alongside the equally secretive Darth Vader.

"I shall allow him to keep his worthless life. For now, at least," Draconis agreed, "But heed my words, Schnee. Your sister belongs to the Emperor now. She lives and dies at his behest and there is nothing you can do about it. Try and it will be my pleasure the rip out your spine and strangle you with it."

He wasn't able to respond in any way before he suddenly felt as if someone was throwing him out of the room. He even flew several meters, before he hit the cold floor of the corridor. He could only watch the door close and the guards retake their positions, as he desperately tried to regain his breath.

This was the closest he had ever come to dying. This woman… no, this monster, she was a walking nightmare. She could have ended him with a snap of her fingers and that was horrifying. But what was this all about? Weiss belongs to the Emperor now? This wouldn't bode well for their family. All he could do now was get up onto his feet and return to his own room as quickly as possible. He had to warn his father… He had to tell him about this Sith…

* * *

Inside the room, Weiss was still staring at Yang. She was back in her full battle armor. Bulky and threatening as it was, the Grimm like mask firm in place. This certainly wasn't the woman she had once called her friend. No, this was only the Sith, only Draconis. She had no doubt that this Sith would have killed her little brother in a heartbeat.

Yang went back to the door and pushed a button on the side. The door hissed slightly as it was sealed, only to be opened by a person of the highest security clearance, which most likely included only Yang, her lieutenants and the captain of the ship. Only after the door had been sealed shut, Yang removed her helmet.

Blood red eyes stared at Weiss, a mocking smirk on Yang's lips.

"Don't look like that. I had to listen to his insipid rant for some time before I got fed up and ended it," Yang told her. "How this dipshit is related to you I will never understand."

"You truly are a monster," Weiss muttered. She had read all the reports and date Yang had provided for her. The things Yang had done before and during the invasion. The things she had done since. She wasn't sure why Yang was so forthcoming with all of this, but it was disconcerting none the less. Ruby's heart would shatter should she ever find out what her sister had become.

"Some things can't be changed," Yang said, a sardonic smile replacing the mocking grimace from before. "We are what we are and sometimes life just deals us a shitty hand."

"You make it sound as if you never had a choice in all of this," Weiss accused. "But is this really all you are now? A monster? A slave to the Emperor?"

Yang laughed. A bitter sound, hollow and empty, nothing like the happy laughs they had shared during their time at Beacon.

"I am not a slave, Weiss. Far from it," Yang told her. "The Force has freed me."

But these words did little to dispel Weiss' confusion. They only added to it. She pressed on, knowing that probing any further was sure to enrage the volatile Sith lady. But she needed answers.

"Then why? Tell me why you are like this? Why have you become a Sith? The Yang I once knew, the Yang Ruby remembers..."

"You wouldn't understand..."

"Try me," Weiss countered.

Yang merely laughed mirthlessly in response and shook her head.

"Please, Yang, tell me why you have become... this," Weiss pleaded. But her words fell on deaf ears, so she had to try and rile her up. "Or are you too scared?"

"Scared?" Yang laughed bitterly, "You have no idea what true fear is, Weiss. But in time you will learn. Like I have learned. Fear of the Darkness and the Light."

"That's nonsense and you know it, Yang. You are avoiding to answer my question. So what were your reason for betraying us? Not fear? Then what? Anger? Hatred? Or were you just jealous of..."

"Enough!" Yang bellowed. Her temper was quickly wearing thin, that much was obvious. "I fell, okay. Is that what you wanted to hear? Do you want me to admit it openly? Fine. I fucking fell. I looked for answers but all I found was an abyss. A darkness inside of me that I can't just ignore. This is me, this has always been me, so deal with it."

"This makes no sense!" Weiss pressed on, despite the ever-present fear that Yang might lash out in anger. Both Sith she had seen thus far had been rather volatile. Weiss had seen many examples of Vader's infamous temper. And Draconis... Yang had already shown the violent storm that is her rage. Angering her is a risk, pushing her too far would be equal to a death wish. But some questions had to be asked.

Yang walked away from Weiss and towards one of the small windows that would allow a nice view on the endless black of space. There wasn't much to see at the moment since the Star Destroyer was traveling through a hyperlane towards Coruscant, but that didn't seem to bother Yang at all. Instead, the young Sith heaved a weary sigh.

"Tell me, Weiss, how much do you know about my family?"

"Only what Ruby has told me..."

"So almost everything Ruby knows," Yang chuckled dryly. "Then you are aware that we only share the same father."

"Yes..."

"My father is... an insignificant man. A good huntsman, as far as I've been told, but a weak parent. The only remarkable thing he has ever accomplished was that he had somehow gained the attention of two outstanding women. Ruby's mom... and mine. They had all been teammates, together with my uncle, but both women couldn't have been any more different."

Yang paused for a long moment. Weiss almost suspected that the conversation was over. But then the Sith punched her heavily armored fist against the wall in a moment of barely suppressed rage.  
"My mother's name is Raven, Ruby's mom was Summer. My mom abandoned me shortly after I'd been born. I don't know why and honestly, I don't really care anymore. But Summer was there to pick up the pieces Raven had left behind. She kept my dad whole and even became the mom I needed. She was awesome... and as I later found out, Summer was the light in my life. The one who kept me from falling into the dark abyss. Raven, on the other hand, is the darkness that swallowed me whole and only left Draconis behind."

"I know what it feels like when your own mother just doesn't care," Weiss admitted. Her own mother had turned to alcohol to cope with her inability to keep her husband's evil schemes in check. Her mother didn't care about any of her children.

"You know nothing," Yang spat. "My mother... Raven is a monster. This darkness, the Dark Side is in her blood. And thanks to her, it is in mine as well. There is a reason why Uncle Qrow was careful enough never to have kids. The dark side of the Force is my bloody inheritance." Yang's voice was trembling with rage, whenever she forced out her mother's name.

Whenever Ruby's mom came up, however... "But... had Summer lived... maybe I would have never..." Yang shook her head, as her voice filled with rage once more, "Summer died, my dad became useless and I nearly got my little sister killed."

"And you just fell and didn't try to fight back? Not even for Ruby's sake?"

"I was just a child," Yang bellowed, "I was lost. I was alone. I was angry. My mother didn't care and my father was too busy feeling sorry for himself. I had no one left but Ruby. I hated myself most of all. For Ruby's sake, I used my own darkness and made it my Semblance. I used it as a shield to keep Ruby safe. All for her sake. She is all I've got left of Summer"

"And still you betrayed her and joined the Empire," Weiss muttered bitterly.

This was one push too far. Faster than anyone could have ever predicted, Yang rushed towards her, a lightsaber in one hand. In a mad rage, she activated the crimson blade and brought it down on the table Weiss had been sitting on. The dangerous weapon missed the Schnee heiress by mere inches, as it cut deeply into the table. Was it a deliberate miss or had rage blinded Yang for a moment? There was only rage in her former friend's eyes. Only anger, hatred, and hurt. The attack lasted only for the fraction of a moment. When Yang realized who she had attacked, she moved away immediately, a look of regret etched onto her face.

"I did everything to keep her safe. I denied my own nature, played the good girl and the protective sister. All for Ruby. And now, after all the things I've done, after all the time I've lied to myself for the sake of a waning dream, I found the place where I belong! Not on Remnant. Not with my weakling of a father. And not with Ruby," she whispered.

The old Yang wasn't a complete lie, Weiss realized at that moment. Though she was afraid of the very monster Yang had become, this still allowed her a brief glimpse at the woman hidden behind the rage. There was still hope that Ruby might get her sister back. But that would be a task beyond her own capabilities. She would need Ruby for this. And maybe Blake as well, to remind Yang that for a time, at Beacon, she had been free and happy. To remind her that she can be more than what the Emperor has planned for her.

"So the Emperor took you in? Lured you in by giving you a home and a purpose?" Weiss asked softly, careful not to enrage Yang again.

"You misunderstand everything. What I desired the most was a sense of family. A real family. The thing I had when Summer was still alive. A place to call home and people to call my family."

"And the Emperor has given that to you?"

Yang turned around again, to look Weiss directly in the eyes. The shame of her previous attack was gone already. Instead, there was a look of stubborn pride, one that Yang had shown many times before. Another glimpse at the old Yang, but in this case, it looked utterly disturbing.

"I once searched for my mother and only found darkness. But in this darkness, I found what I've been looking for. A real family. Not my father. Not Summer. Not even Ruby. Someone who knows the darkness like I do, if not better. In my darkest moment, I have found my path towards redemption..."

But at what price? Weiss dared not say it out loud, but she feared that this Sith before her would see the galaxy burn for the sake of the Emperor. Draconis had to be stopped. Somehow... anyhow. She was sure that Ruby would never give up on her sister. She would try and try again. At the very least Yang seemed to care about her sister, so Ruby might even survive all her attempts at getting Yang back. But there are still the other Sith. Vader and the Emperor. Ruby's path would be a difficult one... and maybe it would be all in vain.

* * *

Leia Organa, Princess... no, former princess of the now destroyed planet Alderaan, sat quietly in her cabin aboard one of the Rebel Alliance flagships. A moment of rest and respite after the tumultuous days before.

So much had happened. The attack on Scarif, the escape towards Tatooine and her eventual capture. She had suffered much, but not even Vader's torture had hurt her as badly as watching her planet and her people be destroyed. Wiped out in an instant, by the orders of madmen.

Vader, Draconis, Tarkin. Three monsters. At the very least one of them is dead for sure. Tarkin's death did not dull the pain of losing her family, but it quieted the vengeful voices inside her head. That the man had been brought to justice had given her a small measure of peace. But Vader and his vile apprentice are still out there, inflicting suffering upon countless worlds.

The Sith and their entire ideology would have to be destroyed if the galaxy was ever supposed to know peace. But that was a task even beyond the powers of the rebel Alliance. They would need the Jedi for that. The few that still remain. One had returned to them, one of their greatest even. Would he be able to make up for those they had already lost? The two from Lothal had been missed dearly in the recent fights.

But Obi Wan Kenobi is the greatest of them all. Leia was sure of it. Her own father had said so. And he even had students of his own already. One of them was lost on Yavin 4, however, and now master and the remaining apprentice are on the search, aided by a squadron of rebel fighters and Captain Solo. Many had volunteered, if only for the chance to fight side by side with a Jedi. To see this beacon of hope with their own eyes, so they can believe once more that the Empire can be defeated. Han Solo did not say why he was willing to help, he just told them to get on his ship so they could start the search.

Leia could only hope that they would succeed. Because two apprentices would be better than one and because of the girl who had been lost. She had heard her name before. Ruby Rose. Weiss' best friend and a young girl that her father had placed much faith in. One who could inspire. One who could give hope to those who follow her. If her father was right about her, as he usually was when it came to reading people, than they mustn't allow Ruby to fall to the darkness she had found on the forest moon above Yavin.

The beeping sound of the intercom shook Leia from her musings.

"Yes," she asked, as she answered the call. She was shocked at how tired her voice sounded.

"Princess, we have received news from some of our agents regarding the whereabouts of Weiss Schnee," the captain of the ship informed her.

All her tiredness was washed away in an instant, as Leia became fully alert. Weiss might still be alive! She had dreaded that he friend might have died on the Death Star, either by the hands of the Sith or during the rebel attack that had destroyed the abominable station.

"Where is she?"

"It would be better for you to see this for yourself," the captain answered evasively.

"I will be with you shortly," Leia replied, worried by the implications of the caption's behavior. Something must have happened. If Weiss was dead, it would have been her fault. She had been the one to approach Weiss with talks of treason and stories of the old Republic.

Leia hurried through the ship and reached the bridge in record time. None of the people on the bridge were talking. None dared to look in her direction. How very... odd.

"I'm here, captain. So tell me, where is Weiss Schnee?" Leia demanded to know.

She had a very bad feeling about this entire situation.

The captain didn't say a thing, instead, he showed her a short holovid recording of what must have been an imperial hangar. Rows upon rows of Storm Troopers, waiting for some high ranking guest to disembark from a shuttle. The ramp opened, and several more troopers and strangely dressed men appeared. Acolytes, servants of the Sith. Leia had encountered several of them in the past, mostly on Coruscant and other places of high imperial power. Then their leader left the shuttle. And there, dressed in white robes that looked like a more elaborate version of the robes of the Acolytes, was Weiss Schnee. Her friend was with the Empire... worse even, by the looks of it, she was also someone of high station and power. With soldiers and acolytes under her command.

Had everything been a lie? Had Weiss been an imperial spy, planted on Alderaan to infiltrate the growing rebel movement on her home planet?

"Where has this been taken?" Leia asked, her voice shaky.

"Alsius Station, in orbit above the planet Remnant. From what our informant could gather, Miss Schnee met up with her older sister, Imperial Captain Winter Schnee, and went to see Governor Ironwood."

"This has to be a mistake. Weiss wouldn't..." Leia almost faltered. A feeling of betrayal growing inside her. But she pushed those feelings away with all the willpower she could muster.

Weiss and she had shared many hours of talking. About themselves, their pasts, their dreams, and hopes. She was sure that she knew the true Weiss Schnee and her friend would have never sold them out to the Empire. Things may look bad, but there had to be a reason for this.

"I refuse to believe that she is an Imperial spy," Leia declared, loud enough for everyone on the bridge to hear. "Captain, find me a way to get a message to Weiss. I need to know the truth."

"And risk exposing our best spies and informants for this one woman?" the captain asked in return. "With all due respect, your highness, but this is most unwise."

"And what if Weiss is there to spy for us? She has done so much for us. She has mobilized so many new forces for the rebellion, we can't just give up on her. You will help me find a way to contact her or I will do so alone," Leia's words were final and she wouldn't discuss this any further. So she just turned away from the captain and returned to her cabin.

Her weariness had returned with a vengeance and now she felt as if she would collapse at any moment. She would rest and once she woke up again, she would find a way to get Weiss back from the Empire. She had lost enough friends in the past few days. Not one more.

* * *

 **A/N: Enough for today.**

 **There are only two things I would like to address here. Concerning Ruby and her current Master, I just want to point out that Ruby is not evil all of a sudden. Exar Kun managed to possess her for a short amount of time, but in the end, he controls her through manipulation. He makes her see things his way, by making her believe that everyone else is against her. It's a shrewd way of Sith influencing.**

 **And Obi-Wan has a role to play. I know that his death was a pivotal moment for Luke's growth as a fledgling Jedi, but at this point in the story killing off Obi-Wan would not have had as much of an effect on either Luke or Ruby. But General Kenobi's glory days are long gone, so don't expect him to go up to Vader and beat him up any time soon.**

 **No more for today, but I will try to update again soon. Next chapter we will see two other teams from RWBY appearing in minor roles. So far we have only seen members of Team RWBY and Team CRDL. In the near future, the Remnant cast will involve Teams CFVY and ABRN. Who will they fight for? Rebels, Empire, Remnantian Resistance? Or maybe as free Mercenaries. Stay tuned to find out.**

 **This is all for now. Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate and a prosperous new year. We will see each other much sooner in the new year.**


End file.
